What is NFC and what role does it have in 2012?

January 26, 2012

As we all know the technological world never stands still. It’s an endless treadmill of emerging technologies, which are first picked up by early adopters before entering the mainstream consciousness and environment, and which are themselves eventually replaced by newer and updated systems.

In recent months one of these emerging technologies has become increasingly prevalent in the mainstream consciousness, but what is this technology known as NFC, and what role will it play in 2012 and beyond?

What is NFC?
NFC stands for Near Field Communication and is actually a set of standards for a short-range wireless form of communication between NFC-enabled devices. NFC standards are based on already established forms of wireless principles, including the contactless card technology behind the Oyster Card used by Transport for London.

Devices adhering to the NFC standard are already available in the banking sector, with a number of financial organisations such as Visa and Mastercard adopting contactless payment cards for use in retailers across the country. Meanwhile a number of smartphone manufacturers are beginning to roll out NFC-enabled devices, further enhancing the level of connectivity and functionality of smartphones and tablets, essentially turning each device into its own contactless payment ‘card’.

NFC in 2012
Expect more smartphone manufacturers, retailers and banks to adopt NFC contactless technology throughout the rest of 2012 and beyond, making its use even more widespread among the public. Away from shoppers the use of NFC-enabled devices also opens the possibility for new forms of PR and marketing tactics, which is a topic we will soon look at!

By Jon Wilcox

RSS