Moscow commuters will soon be able to tap their phones and ride the city's subways thanks to the deployment of NFC capabilities across the transit system. This according to an article on Russian Behind the Headlines. Vimpelcom, a major Russian mobile operator, said it will launch the system by the end of the year.

NFC for transit applications is a growing trend in Russia. The article said Russian carrier Megafon launched a similar NFC payments program in the St. Petersburg subway last year. A third carrier, MTS, will be deploying NFC technologies to a number of cities as well.

These NFC deployments could be a harbinger of bigger things to come in Russia. The article said several companies are beginning to produce products that support NFC payments in Russia. For instance, NXP, one of the largest producers of NFC tags, is reportedly setting up shop in the Moscow region to produce tags.

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