There has been a lot of interest in the contactless technology, which evolved from radio-frequency identification (RFID). It allows the sending of information between devices without the need of them touching. This is what near field communication, abbreviated NFC, offers.
Thus far, NFC has been widely used for payments and data communication, explains NearFieldCommunication.org, a site where one can come familiar with NFC and know why this very-short range radio communication technology has become (or will soon be) the next big thing in wireless sharing. The website also specifies how it can be applied to the “Internet of Things” and to Machine-to-Machine (M2M).
NFC-enabled smartphones are already on the market and more stores are said to be offering NFC card readers for customers’ convenience. NFC machines able to perform M2M transactions and much more, such as able to secure information like credit card or passenger data. Such a concept may, one day, revolutionize the way people live and do business; possibly, even change the way we spend money.
This technology is already becoming prominent in retail, and could someday “displace credit and debit cards for a number of purchases, share [and collect] data, access [and transmit] confidential information, and even [transform] travel,” reported Connected World, a business and technology publication, in an article post.
These days, the benefits of NFC, both at the consumer and business levels, are prominent. It has included the use of “NFC functionality for a wide variety of mobile applications, including retail, transit, ticketing, vending, and access control, among others,” explains Connected World.
However, although together with M2M NFC has the potential to shape many aspects of life and be the future of mobility and wireless communication, it has yet to fully establish itself.
A business that has exploited the potential foundations of the NFC ecosystem most recently is Rogers Communications, a Canadian provider of voice and data services that chose the open Wallet Management Platform from Sequent Software to enable NFC payment transactions to power its Suretap Wallet. It is to be the means to have customers experience the “innovative mobile-payment features from a variety of card issuers,” says Jeppe Doriff, vice president of Transaction Services at Rogers.
Because NFC offers so many benefits, the technology can also be effective in several other industries: In air travel business, for example. Is capable of providing a new way for passengers to use smartphones at the airport for airline boarding. NFC readers for passengers needing to board at the gates could, ultimately, save time and streamline operations for travelers: It would allow a "tap-and-go" access to admit passengers with valid boarding passes, for those with such info stored on their phones, be enabled to board the aircraft.
In addition to promoting the idea of paperless travel through e-boarding passes, the technology could serve as a means to pay excess baggage fees and other charges at airports, says Jim Peters, SITA Chief Technology Officer and head of SITA Lab, in its "The Benefits of Mobile NFC for Air Travel".
In line with this idea is Accenture Technology Labs, another business exploiting near-field communication for airline travel. Despite the fact that mobile NFC is still a maturing technology, Accenture believes it can enable direct contact with the traveler, speed up the entire process at the airport, and be used for future inflight payment applications.
In sum, there are numerous potential uses for NFC in air travel operations (as well as for other businesses). At the airport, such technology could be used to provide the following services:
• Secure provision of boarding passes on mobile devices.
• Enable a tap-and-go access to airport lounges worldwide.
• Process a variety of payments with NFC-enabled mobile payment applications at airport shops, or even on the plane.
• Track baggage information quickly and accurately with NFC coded and embedded in luggage tags.
• Enter an airport parking garage and be able to pay when exiting with the use of NFC-enabled devices.
It’s certainly difficult to argue that NFC will not play some type of role in our society’s future. At least for the airport industry, “NFC holds substantial promise to provide a smoother and faster airport experience for travelers,” says Stephen Copart, head of strategy and industry services transformation at IATA.
Those seeking out more knowledge about the potential benefits of the adoption of NFC technology (and not see it as problematical solution if it were to be utilized) or perhaps want to know of additional uses for passengers in various aspects of air transport, can visit the website of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade association of airlines, which recently came out with the “NFC Reference Guide for Air Travel.” In alternative, information can be found on the NFC Forum, www.nfc-forum.com, a non-profit organization that aims to advance the use of NFC.
Edited by
Cassandra Tucker
