Dear Readers,
It seems that I am not alone in the view that this year will the turning point for NFC technology. By that, I mean moving away from the more ubiquitous applications relating to payment and towards a broader sphere that will encompass all manner of new markets and application fields.
The NFC Forum also shares this view, it seems, and demonstrates it by establishing a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) looking into markets such as Consumer Electronics, Health Care, Payment, Retail, and Transport to 'collaborate on NFC solution implementation, interoperability, best practices, and future requirements' (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gw). A very lofty goal indeed, but it does help to underscore the NFC Forum's view that NFC has a much greater role to play than it does today. If I may be so bold, it reminds me of the implementation and drive for mass acceptance that surrounded the early days of Bluetooth and look where that has led. It's presence can be felt in many a piece of hardware today and we take it for granted, yet originally all everyone seemed to talk about was its incorporation into mobile headsets! Perhaps the same will hold true for NFC technology and payment applications.
Transport is an obvious growth area for NFC technology and so it was no surprise that last week's most passed around article on Twitter was written by Emma Green for the Atlantic and titled 'London's Tube Is Getting 'Contactless' Payments. Could They Work in the U.S.?' (http://bit.ly/VqOv1M). Its a fairly well-balanced article encapsulating the field of contactless within the transportation market and I would advise you all to read it. Ms Green summarizes as follows, "Regardless of the path that U.S. mass transit systems ultimately take to make their payment systems more efficient, those changes seem to be in everyone's best interest: in a perfect world, in which a contactless or mobile payments ecosystem has been well-established, these kinds of payment systems would significantly decrease the inefficiencies of current fare systems." Here at Contactless Intelligence, we agree with that sentiment, too.
There are other indicators that NFC might be taking off in the more B2C arena, too. The NFC tag market seems to be particularly strong at the moment. Remember a few weeks ago the story of Samsung placing tag tiles up and down the Las Vegas strip (just in time for CES)? (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1d5) Not to mention the amount of NFC enabled products at the show itself. "NFC was very present at CES, but it had nothing to do with payments," Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi was reported saying "It's smart because you're getting consumers familiar with the technology so when mobile payments is ready and the ecosystem ready, they'll feel comfortable with it."
But back to tags themselves. Supplier of NFC tags, Identive, reports to have shipped close to 15 million NFC tags during the fourth quarter of 2012. The company claims that it has received orders for 8 million additional NFC tags to be shipped during the first quarter of 2013 (http://bit.ly/VqQAux). I am particularly fond of NFC tags as I think they are a great indicator of the state of adoption for the NFC market in general. The more they are used in marketing campaigns that interact with the consumer on behalf of larger brands, the greater the prospect of education, awareness, familiarity and adoption taking place. That's one of the reasons why, at this years CI Spring Conference, we are encouraging the need of the NFC industry to 'Bring Brands on Board'. Companies engaged in tag developing or marketing will usually pay the cost of tags, printing and programming. and then profit from producing the marketing campaign itself, many making additional revenues from offering detailed data reports of the devices that are accessing the brands' projects and so forth. It seems to be good model at the moment. Sam Amrani, the managing director and co-founder of US company Tamoco, (Tag Mobile Company), says that when it comes to the number of tags used, 1,000 tags would be a medium-sized campaign and would take around two weeks to make live, while a large campaign of 5,000 tags for would take around six weeks and a corporate campaign, with a nationwide retailer would require upwards of 25,000 tags (http://bit.ly/VtIbq6)
We are obviously not alone in the view of an all-encompassing NFC approach. This year's GSMA Mobile World Congress in Barcelona will see - for the first time - the introduction of what is being called 'The NFC Experience' (http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gn). Described as an 'interactive experience through which exhibitors, vendors, and attendees will use mobile NFC technology to exchange information and conduct transactions at MWC 2013', the GSMA will showcase an integrated range of mobile NFC services. Attendees with NFC-enabled handsets will be able to take advantage of NFC technology at locations throughout the Fira Gran Via and in the city. NFC touch points will be abundant throughout Congress, rewarding those who ‘tap’ with instant access to information such as downloads on the conference sessions and keynotes, as well as information on restaurants and tourist attractions around Barcelona itself.
“We’re excited to launch the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress, as it provides attendees to the event the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of NFC technology both throughout the Mobile World Congress venue, as well as in the city of Barcelona,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “We hope that all attendees will take advantage of the many benefits of NFC, from venue access to retail transactions to transport, among others.”
At Contactless Intelligence, we're looking forward to that.
Regards,
Steve Atkins
Contactless Intelligence
This week on C-ITV
Watch2Pay - now in the USA http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gA
NFC Forum creates SIG's for NFC http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gw
European mobile money opportunities to open up through Monitise and CGI alliance http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gt
Ingenico serves NFC payment technology to Ukraine's McDonald’s http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gq
GSMA Introduces the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gn
The Sony NFC TV http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1gi
BOKU, U.S. Cellular in mobile payments partnership http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1ge
Ingenico and Isbank launch a new payment solution in Turkey http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fX
Citi to start issuing contactless payment stickers for new credit cards in the Czech Republic http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fT
RIM's mobile payment solution to use Bell ID Token Management software http://wp.me/p1Jrjn-1fO
Tech It Easy Ltd and CHARGE Anywhere to deploy mobile payment in Caribbean http://wp.me/pQLgk-Py
Citi to start issuing contactless payment stickers for new credit cards in the Czech Republic http://wp.me/pQLgk-Ps
Payments & m-Commerce
5 mobile payment trends to watch http://bit.ly/W5ybVh
Rakuten Edy launches new coupon site for smartphones http://bit.ly/Wzp3Gq
Payair powers Davids m-commerce services http://bit.ly/V3HUIJ
Telefónica Germany to Introduce NFC Payments Next Month, But Begins with Test http://bit.ly/V3HSk5
Online Payment Companies - Is The Threat From NFC Real? http://bit.ly/V3HL8j
Time's Running Out for Banks to Get into Mobile Payments http://bit.ly/VqOpHe
Mumbai: Citibank rolls out integrated mobile payment service http://bit.ly/V3I6rv
Payment Upstarts Still Can’t Dislodge The King http://on.wsj.com/VqQXFq
Squaring Payments: The Exploding mPoS Market http://bit.ly/VqQRxC
Quatrro Launches Next Generation Integrated Processing Services to Support Card and Mobile Payments http://prn.to/VqQMtA
Kenya: New technology to ease shopping http://bit.ly/W5yqQc
NFC & Mobile
Print Title Goes High Tech with Near Field Communication http://bit.ly/W5ylfq
T-Mobile aims to make NFC “a reality” in 2013 http://bit.ly/144ie5B
Samsung tests NFC window shopping in Amsterdam http://bit.ly/VtIiSz
Tamoco explains how important NFC is for B2C engagement http://bit.ly/VtIbq6
Taiwan: FTC approves mobile payment operations for 5 telecom carriers
Only 8,000 Poles use NFC payments http://bit.ly/VtHWvp
Expanding Share In NFC Chips Market Lifts NXP Higher http://onforb.es/VqQCT6
Identive Announces Record Quarter for NFC Tag Shipments http://bit.ly/VqQAux
Bluebird cuts care costs with NFC http://bit.ly/VqQrHm
Sony launches thin and light Tablet Z http://bit.ly/VqOxXl
NFC benefits hazy for consumers: mHITs CEO http://bit.ly/WzpoZO
NFC: Not just for mobile payments anymore http://cnet.co/V3HmCP
Samsung Adds NFC Support to UK Version of Galaxy S III Mini Smartphone http://bit.ly/V3HIZS
Transportation, Ticketing, Access, Security & Loyalty
Oyster-type travel card may be introduced in Oxfordshire http://bit.ly/W5xPOt
Five takeaways from Techcircle Payments and Loyalty Forum 2013 http://bit.ly/W5xvzo
Mauritius: National Transport Corporation to introduce smart card http://bit.ly/VtIJMT
London's Tube Is Getting 'Contactless' Payments. Could They Work in the U.S.? http://bit.ly/VqOv1M
Sydney's Opal smartcard more advanced than Oyster: NSW http://bit.ly/V3I2YG
Other News & Opinion Articles
4G, NFC, Security, New Form Factors, and Connected Consumer Devices to Overcome Slowdown in SIM Card Market Growth http://bit.ly/W5yRKr
DoubleBeam completes m-payment integration with IBM's ACE POS System http://bit.ly/W5yLlO
Yankee Group: A Year in Review: Mobile Transactions Show Promise http://bit.ly/W5yIqg
Corporate mobile payments to reduce cost of 'cash sales by 20%,' says new whitepaper from Mobile Money Consulting http://prn.to/WsKXLQ
Payleven Takes A ‘High Single-Digit Million Dollar’ Round Led By A Mystery Investor http://tcrn.ch/V3Hwda
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GSMA Introduces the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress
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The GSMA has revealed the NFC Experience at Mobile World Congress, an interactive experience through which exhibitors, vendors, and attendees use mobile Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to exchange information and conduct transactions at the Mobile World Congress, taking place 25-28 February at Fira Gran Via in Barcelona.
“We’re excited to launch the NFC Experience for Mobile World Congress, as it provides attendees to the event the opportunity to experience first-hand the power of NFC technology both throughout the Mobile World Congress venue, as well as in the city of Barcelona,” said Michael O’Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA. “We hope that all attendees will take advantage of the many benefits of NFC, from venue access to retail transactions to transport, among others.”
As part of the new NFC Experience at Mobile World Congress, the GSMA will showcase an integrated range of mobile NFC services. Attendees with NFC-enabled handsets will be able to take advantage of NFC technology at locations throughout the Fira Gran Via and in the city. NFC touch points will be abundant throughout Congress, rewarding those who ‘tap’ with instant access to information such as downloads on the conference sessions and keynotes, as well as information on restaurants and tourist attractions around Barcelona itself.
The NFC Experience will feature:
NFC Centre – A dedicated zone in the heart of Congress Square will be one of the key locations to visit and see NFC-enabled handsets and their capabilities as well as gaining information on the NFC ecosystem, NFC smart posters, NFC partner pods and a dedicated NFC support function;
NFC Interactive Zones – More than a dozen NFC Interactive Zones will be located along the walkways, entrances and exhibition halls of Fira Gran Via . Comprising a series of linked smart posters, attendees can use their NFC-enabled handsets to access exhibitor directories, venue information, nearby conveniences and many other useful services offered during Mobile World Congress;
(click to continue reading)
![]() NFC Forum creates SIG's for NFC
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The NFC Forum, in an attempt to stimulate NFC technology driven markets outside of the more accepted payment/wallet type market are to create a number of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that will bring together leaders from the areas of Consumer Electronics, Health Care, Payment, Retail, and Transport to collaborate on NFC solution implementation, interoperability, best practices, and future requirements. By fostering the direct, concerted interaction of NFC stakeholders in key vertical markets, use cases, and technology segments, the SIGs will enable the NFC Forum to take a more active role in driving NFC solutions development, deployment, and adoption.
The NFC Forum say that the new SIGs build on the NFC Forum's progress to date and reflect the growing momentum behind NFC. With analysts estimating that more than 100 million NFC-enabled phones were sold in 2012 and close to 300 million will be shipped in 2013, NFC Forum membership is at an all-time high. The five SIGs were introduced in two special public webcasts, "NFC Goes Vertical," representing the top near-term growth opportunities for NFC technology. The NFC Forum will form additional SIGs as market needs develop.
Each SIG leverages the Forum's alliance partnerships in that area, bringing together top experts, member companies, and NFC solutions developers to share the business and technical needs of their industry and to develop programs to support them.
SIG activities include:
- Educating the market on use cases, implementation issues, and lessons learned
- Gathering business requirements to drive new or modified technical work
- Exploring ways to speed or smooth certification of NFC-enabled devices
- Establishing and managing liaisons with other groups to further collaboration efforts
- Creating regional programs as needed
"As the commercialization of NFC solutions grows, we see an increasing need in the marketplace for education, guidance, and support for market implementation," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "By helping us focus our efforts and expertise on the specific needs of key market sectors, the SIGs will enable the NFC Forum to facilitate and accelerate the delivery of exciting new NFC solutions to consumers."
(click to continue reading)
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