Here at Gaj-it, we keep banging on about NFC saying how it will be the best next thing and it seems that researches agree with us. The technology which will allow us to use our smartphones to make payments is set to make its way onto 1 in 5 handsets by 2014 according to Juniper Research. This would mean there will be almost 300 million NFC-enabled smartphones in use in three years’ time.
But Juniper have also acknowledged the problems faced by NFC. The technology is a two sided one in that it could be on every single smartphone by 2012 but unless shops, train stations and businesses adopt the technology the NFC handsets will be useless.
Once NFC becomes standard we'll get to see its true potential.”NFC is perhaps best known for its role in enabling mobile payments, but its applications go far beyond that,” said Franco Bernabè, chairman of the GSMA and chief executive of Telecom Italia. It's not unbelievable to imagine a world where all we need is our smartphone. NFC could allow our smartphone to pay for products, open doors as well as acting as a virtual ticket for transport and attractions. Goodbye keys, cards and copper.
This is why we're so excited about NFC, it's not just card payment but it's a completely new way to experience day to day life. Obviously this means big money. Fellow research firm Frost & Sullivan estimates the total global payment value expected for NFC to top €110 billion in 2015.