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Portable payments
By LI WEITAO (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-10 14:09 Using an NFC-enabled phone, consumers can also download ringtones,
screensavers, and wallpaper, simply by holding the phones close to a poster or
advertising billboard with an NFC tag. This is expected to boost consumer
enthusiasm for wireless value-added services (WVAS), which is crucial to the
development of the mobile phone industry.
Chinese mobile phone users tend
to embrace such services. According to Beijing-based research house Analysys
International, China's WVAS market grew to 6.23 billion yuan (US$778.75 million)
in the first quarter of this year, up 10.3 per cent from the previous
quarter.
Wu Qing, an official with Xiamen Mobile, a branch of China
Mobile, says that if the field trial in Xiamen is successful, it will help NFC
technology hit the mass market in China. The trial will last for two or three
months.
Nokia's Zheng says Nokia is in talks with China Mobile to conduct
more trials in other cities, but refuses to offer details. Prior to the Xiamen
trial, Nokia had successfully completed similar trials in the United States,
Germany and Malaysia.
"Mobile operators favour NFC technology, because it
will help increase their customers' reliance on mobile phones and cellular
networks," Zheng says.
Two NFC-enabled mobile phones can also communicate
with each other using the emerging technology. They can share MP3 songs,
business cards, pictures, and coupons stored in the phones, similar to
bluetooth. Speeds could reach up to 448 kbps, according to Zheng.
Nokia
is not the only manufacturer of NFC-enabled mobile phones. Several industry
players, such as Motorola and Samsung, as well as chipmakers, have joined the
NFC Forum, which was co-founded by Nokia, Philips and Sony. The forum is
dedicated to developing NFC technology and setting related
standards.
(For more biz stories, please visit Industry Updates)
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