WNA

The NFC Experience, exhibited a new services and NFC-enabled devices at Mobile World Congress this week. Near Field Communications was featured in many new products including phones, readers and services.

NFC enables contactless financial transactions and data exchange over a very short range. Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a “tag”.

Some 65 NFC-enabled digital Tap-n-Go Points were located around Fira Gran Via by Korean operator KT. The NFC Media Poles deliver a range of information services to visitors at the tap of an NFC phone, including films, coupons, tickets, music and advertisements.

The NFC Badge was available for Android 4.0+ and Windows Phone 8 operating systems, and iPhones using the Incipio Cashwrap NFC-enabled case.

Ten thousand attendees utilised the NFC Badge and nearly 51,000 NFC transactions were made across Fira Gran Via. Building on the success of the NFC Badge in 2013, customers of Bouygues Telecom, Bharti Airtel, Dialog, Etisalat, KT Corp., Orange, Tata and Telstra were able to further streamline their entry to Mobile World Congress by participating in a trial using their mobile operator credentials to confirm their identity.

The GSMA today reported that more than 85,000 visitors from 201 countries attended the 2014 Mobile World Congress, up by 18% over 2013, setting another new record for the mobile industry’s premier event.