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Market ready for near-field apps

The initial near-field communications (NFC) mass-market applications are likely to build on existing communications infrastructure and user behaviour, says a new study.

The initial near-field communications (NFC) mass-market applications are likely to build on existing communications infrastructure and user behaviour, says a new study. The wide adoption of NFC-enabled mobile devices is one of the key drivers for the NFC non-payment applications market, although NFC communication is not limited to smartphones. Contactless communication is expected to be widely supported by a broad range of tablets, netbooks, notebooks, and desktop PCs.

Researcher Intelling and the French government-backed CNRFID have published a new Smart Insights Report “NFC applications beyond payment to boost adoption,” which delivers an extensive analysis of the NFC applications market beyond payment. The wide availability of NFC handsets, along with the launch of many payment and non-payment services mean that the infrastructure is now ready for the development of new services and their mass adoption. The Smart Insights Report “NFC applications beyond payment to boost adoption” establishes that the most attractive of all the segments, in terms of market growth, are ticketing and access control.

The initial NFC mass-market applications are likely to build on existing communications infrastructure and user behavior. The wide adoption of NFC-enabled mobile devices is one of the key drivers for the NFC non-payment applications market, although NFC communication is not limited to smartphones. Contactless communication is expected to be widely supported by a broad range of tablets, netbooks, notebooks, and desktop PCs.

According to Smart Insights and CNRFID analysts, the NFC non-payment applications market will experience an exponential growth with revenues approaching US$ 14 billion (EUR 10.4 billion) in 2018. The most attractive of all the segments, in terms of market growth, is ticketing and access control.

Thierry Spanjaard, CEO of Smart Insights said: “The NFC technology community has been focusing on payment applications for years. This new Smart Insights Report demonstrates the wealth of applications brought by NFC goes way beyond the payment use case. Now that NFC handsets are widely available we are witnessing a fast development of applications in all market segments, especially for retail, transportation and consumer electronics.”

Jean-Christophe Lecosse, CNRFID General Manager added: “The NFC developments beyond payment allow to demonstrate the applicative values brought by the technology. These applicative values including contextual information, identification, access control and smart objects management, among others, show the advantages NFC can bring in all aspects of our lives.”