OPINION: It looks as though Shanghai is now set to be the venue for a new series of mobile contactless payment initiatives from China’s mobile operators, banks and public transport providers. More
Opinion
What kind of Trusted Service Managers is NFC likely to need — and how many will there be?
GUEST COMMENT: We’re unlikely to end up with a single TSM per country, or per region, or per operator — which isn’t what many people imagined when the TSM model became current, writes Dave Birch of Consult Hyperion. More
Gearing up for handset production
OPINION: In some ways, NFC seems very simple. Stick an RF antenna in a phone, link it to a secure element so that sensitive data can be stored safely, and off you go. Or maybe not… More
Build the brand and they will come
OPINION: One way to put yourself in prime position on the day NFC handsets finally become widely available is to start building your brand now, regardless of whether there are limits on the level of service you can currently offer. More
Demand for mobile payments at the point of sale drives creative solutions to lack of NFC handsets
OPINION: The question of how to begin offering mass market NFC services when inexpensive NFC phones are still some time away is finally beginning to resolve itself. More
Handset suppliers gear up for NFC
OPINION: Samples of a new NFC chip, compliant with all the latest industry standards, are now in the hands of ‘a number of major handset manufacturers’, says NXP, ahead of mass market availability towards the end of this year. More
Towards global standards for NFC — in payments and in electronic ID
OPINION: In separate moves, three organisations have taken significant steps forward in the move towards global standards for NFC, not only in payments but also in the electronic ID market. More
NFC set for commercial reality at last?
OPINION: The world’s first commercial NFC system has now gone live in Malaysia, marking a major turning point for near field communication. More
NFC stickers continue to gain acceptance
OPINION: Despite a raft of recent announcements by those involved in the development of NFC handsets, it’s clear that contactless stickers still have an important role to play in the widespread adoption of NFC. More
Now any Bluetooth handset can do NFC — for just $25
OPINION: Yet another way to get around the absence of NFC handsets has been announced this week and, this time, it’s a really strong contender. More
Handsets and ecosystems — major breakthroughs for NFC
OPINION: The last two weeks have seen two major breakthroughs for NFC. First, Singapore has become the first country to get all the key players to sign up for the creation of a fully inter-operable, multi-application national NFC ecosystem. More
Would-be SIM suppliers line up to battle for operators’ NFC business
OPINION: For anyone hoping to be seen as a player in the NFC SIM market, it’s becoming clear that now is the time to let the market know you’re in the game — even if you don’t yet have any product ready to ship. More
Could NFC be about to develop along two different tracks?
OPINION: It looks as though the NFC market may be getting set to split into two separate tracks. On the one hand, there will be small-scale but fully standards-compliant pilot trials that carefully test out all the elements of an NFC ecosystem ready for an orderly future expansion. More
Transport ticketing: Trains, buses and market drivers
OPINION: From the beginning transport ticketing has been seen as a key way to kickstart NFC adoption… More
Will 2009 be the year of NFC?
OPINION: Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention and the current global financial crisis will make it necessary for all of us to be inventive in the way we do business. More
Is NFC ripe for adoption, or has it missed the boat?
OPINION: ABI Research caused quite a stir this week when it distributed a press release saying NFC has taken too long to develop, that other mobile payments solutions such as SMS have beaten it to market and it will now be six years before NFC becomes a viable mobile payments solution. More
Tiny tags or large scale payments systems: Which will drive NFC?
OPINION: It’s the big, bank-led trials that have had most of the NFC publicity so far. Away from the bright lights of the payments arena, though, there are quieter companies already enjoying commercial success with NFC. More
When is a sticker just a sticker, and when is it NFC?
OPINION: Purists maintain that simply attaching a contactless sticker to a mobile phone isn’t really NFC. And, on one level, they would be right. More