NFC – Near Field Communication

This is the era of smartphones with Android as a futuristic operating system for various handy gadgets like smartphones, tablets, phablets and many more.  Now, your smartphones possess NFC facility. All android device manufacturers support this feature; however Apple is still to embrace it. Some of the cell phone manufacturers supporting this feature include HTC, Samsung, Nokia, Motorola, LG and Blackberry.  

What is NFC? 

 

NFC, an abbreviation of Near Field Communication, is a feature possessed by smartphones and other similar devices to allow contactless one-way as well as two-way communication between two such devices.  This communication can only be established within a range of few centimetres (10 cm is the standard maximum distance) and the devices need to be brought into close proximity. NFC utilizes the radio frequency identification process (RFID), which is a contactless method of transferring and receiving identification data through electromagnetic fields. An NFC enabled device can either transfer data to another similar device (probably a reader) or can receive identification information from certain tags that hold electronically stored information. Some of these tags are powered or use local power source like battery while others are powerless and collect energy from the EM field that interrogates it. These chips consume very less power and thus the power generated out of electromagnetic induction is enough to make it function.  

Usability and Benefits of NFC 

Who can reap the benefits from this innovative feature that your smartphone possesses and how can it be done? Daily travellers, debit and credit card users, movie goers, regular visitors and loyal customers of coffee shops; all of them and many others including common man and business men, can benefit from this feature. All your credit cards, loyalty shopping cards, paper tickets and, even your wallet now find its way to the dustbin. You can integrate your paper tickets, credit cards, paper coupons, etc. into one device. You just need to wave your smartphone over an RFID interrogator to make a payment to the grocer, mall, movie ticket counter and many more payment counters. You can even store loyalty points, redeem coupons, use it before boarding a train or bus and even transfer money between two smartphones. With this new innovative feature transactions are real fast and you no more need to wait at the cash counter when someone ahead you is busy transacting through cash from his/her wallet. Just wave you phone over the interrogating device and move ahead. Unlike debit cards, no signature on the bill slip is needed. 

How does NFC work? 

Though often referred as a data transfer technology, it transfers very small amount of data that only includes certain identification code. All it does is identifies you and your bank account to the querying device so that it can access your account for the payment transactions. The transaction is further completed using an application installed in your smartphone, which authenticates your identity to the bank website and makes the transaction possible. It is fast and no pairing code is required as in the case of Bluetooth. It consumes very low power and the RFID tags can even be accessed without a power source in it. The NFC tags on posters in a shop or on a train may contain a web address, a discount coupon, timetables, travel routes, maps and much more. NFC is a big leap in the field of mobile payments. It protects you against theft of your wallet and credit cards.

Google is first in the market to bring this innovative payment process into action. Google Wallet, supporting MasterCard PayPass and PayPal, allows transfer of money between smartphones. Many other companies are with a future view to walk on the foot prints of Google. Expectedly, coming years will witness a boom in the NFC transaction rate and more stores will start offering NFC card readers to accept payments from the customers.