Near field communication on trial at 3GSM

3GSM will be the setting for the latestest ever demonstration of near field communication technology (NFC) - the easy-to-use short range wireless technology.

3GSM will be the setting for the latestest ever demonstration of near field communication technology (NFC) - the easy-to-use short range wireless technology.

Royal Philips Electronics and Telefonica Moviles Espana, the largest Spanish mobile operator, will demonstrate the simplicity of NFC technology by providing 200 selected delegates of the 3GSM World Congress with NFC-enabled Samsung SGH-X700 mobile phones to be used in a variety of applications throughout the conference and exhibition area.

With the NFC-enabled Samsung SGH-X700 mobile phones, the 200 participants can conduct various transactions throughout the Congress, including secure payment and exhibition and conference access, simply with the swipe of their mobile phones.

One of the most important new mobile communications technologies to be showcased at 3GSM, NFC is the most promising new wireless technology to hit the market in recent years.

NFC is seeing significant market traction with major commercial trials currently running in France, Germany, Taiwan and the USA.

The large demonstration at 3GSM by Philips, co-inventor of the NFC technology, Samsung and Telefonica Moviles Espana, gives the mobile industry's most influential players the chance to experience the convenience themselves.

"Contactless payment is proving to be one of the most compelling applications of NFC technology because consumers immediately see the benefits".

"Who doesn't like the idea of spending less time waiting in line to make purchases, or carrying fewer items with them when they go out? NFC also benefits retailers who can serve more customers and see fewer people walk away from long lines", said Frans van Houten, CEO, Philips Semiconductors.

"We're pleased to partner with Samsung and Telefonica Moviles on the 3GSM demonstration to give 200 people the opportunity to experience the convenience and simplicity of NFC.

With consumers, handset makers, operators - all the key players in the value chain - recognising the full potential of NFC, we expect market adoption will skyrocket over the next 12 months".

According to Gartner Research Vice President Stan Bruederle: "In addition to being well suited for contactless payments using your mobile phone, NFC can be used for simply establishing secure wireless connectivity connections with your mobile phone and other devices using wireless universal serial bus (USB), Bluetooth, and other connectivity technologies".

"We see NFC as an important new option that consumers will be requesting as part of their new services", stated Juan Luis Mirabet, Consumer General Manager of Telefonica Moviles Espana.

"It extends the ways in which mobile phones can be used, and we're pleased to have the opportunity to meet existing and emerging consumer demands by providing new applications and services, as well as enabling a truly mobile lifestyle where they can connected anytime, anywhere".

"Samsung is very proud to introduce the specially designed NFC mobile phone, SGH-X700, for industry professionals at the 3GSM World Congress".

"As one of the board members of the NFC Forum, Samsung has invested a lot for RandD and looked carefully for business opportunities with NFC" stated YH Han, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Samsung Electronics.

Samsung's SGH-X700 is a premium bar-type handset, which combines elegant design with comprehensive features.

The popular X700 models are specially equipped with NFC technology to demonstrate the simplicity and ease-of-use of NFC at 3GSM.

The applications that the 200 delegates can enjoy with their NFC-enabled Samsung phones include: secure contactless payment and exhibition and conference access.

Other applications and services that are part of the demonstration include on-site registration, information exchange with the lead retrieval system, an electronic business card with the user's personal registration dated stored on the phone and the opportunity to win prizes.

In addition to the NFC access applications, the PDAs used at the seven entrances of the convention centre will also be used to allow entrance for all the congress delegates using Philips contactless smart card technology.

Registrants receive entry cards that are equipped with Philips Mifare technology.

The cards will be read by the PDAs to allow access to the event.

Back to top