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NFC is the most promising contactless technology enabling wireless connections between two devices, e.g. a mobile phone and a stationary reader device, without having to navigate through complicated menus or performing complex set-up procedures. NFC is already internationally in use, e.g. in mobile payment, access control and public transport. G&D has been working actively on developing NFC with regard to security and new use cases, and we currently have several pilots running all over the world.
Backward compatibility and security aspects
The principle of NFC is to make two devices communicate and connect. Originally, NFC was developed by Philips and Sony based on 13.56 MHz radio frequency technology making it backwards compatible with ISO 14443 and FeliCa. Thus, it supports almost all of today’s major contactless smart cards schemes. NFC-enabled devices can act as both contactless card and reader, supporting peer-to-peer communication.
NFC was invented as a communication channel, but when introduced for payment transactions, security had to be added. This is done using a Smart Card chip, the so called "Secure Element" within the device.
The "Secure Element" can come as a SIM card, a memory card (e.g. a microSD card) or as an embedded secure element. G&D supports all three solutions.
When launching NFC projects, the most challenging point is the set-up of the so-called "NFC Ecosystem": a lot of companies that must work together to make it happen have to be brought together.
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