NFC is short for “Near-Field Communication”. The technology made inroads on the mobile front a few years ago, and has since become standard on most smartphones. In simple terms, it is a wireless transmission method that is particularly well-suited to transmitting small amounts of data over short distances. You have to go as far down as a few centimetres or less for two devices to be able to communicate via NFC.
NFC requires its own antenna, which is often located at the back of the mobile phone. Data is transmitted via this antenna in the phone to a chip no more than four centimetres away, offering good control over when the function is used. It is a more accurate way of transferring information between devices because you physically have to hold your phone close to a reader in order to communicate.
Another excellent feature of NFC is that it has a passive technology, which means that it is not powered by a battery, and features that use NFC will therefore not be affected if the phone battery runs out. NFC can also be used without the mobile phone being connected to the mobile network.
NFC technology is particularly suitable for mobile payments, but many people also use the technology as it enables them to use their mobile as a key, e.g. in hotels and as a digital key to their own home, controlling both the alarm and the door lock.
This is a technology we are going to see a lot more of and, because it is so simple, the range of possibilities that it can be used for in the future is limited only by the developer’s imagination.
Cegal has no direct relationship to this technology, but we supply the Multi Channel Invoicing solution – a solution where businesses can send invoices to end users via any payment solution. This includes mobile payment solutions such as Apple Pay or Google Pay, which use this technology.