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NFC is the 3rd Interface: First we talked, then we typed, now we will tap...
The latest survey from BillingViews (http://www.billingviews.com) finds that 65 percent of respondents believe that applications other than mobile payments will catalyze mass use of near field communications (NFC) technology. The survey panel consists of 20 executives from major telecom operators in every global region who are responsible for billing, payments, customer care, and IT strategy. Full details of the survey responses are available at http://www.billingviews.com.
While NFC has been hyped as an enabling technology for mobile payments, the convenience factors surmised to drive it are not overwhelming. As a result, payment is not what is most likely to drive mass uptake of NFC technology. Rather, it is the transmission of common, personal data at the heart of billions of online and day-to-day transactions that is a more likely catalyst. With NFC, transmission is conducted through a simple “tap,” an action which is being dubbed “the Third Interface.”
"We all suffer from fatigue regarding processes, like online ordering, that require us to enter repeatedly the same basic information about ourselves, our payment methods, our delivery addresses, and so forth,” says Alex Leslie, Publisher of BillingViews. With NFC, Leslie explains, we can simply tap to transmit that information in an unlimited number of scenarios. “Once people become accustomed to the convenience of tapping to transmit basic personal data, it is more likely they will turn to NFC to facilitate mobile payment transactions as well.”
The concept of tapping as the “Third Interface” emerged at February’s Mobile World Congress™ event in Barcelona. “I was chatting with VP of Business Development for Inside Secure, Andre Ponton, who suggested that the world should look at NFC as the ‘third interface’ because ‘first we typed, then we talked, and now we will tap,’” explains Leslie. This point of view provided the impetus for BillingViews’ survey.
While the potential for NFC is massive, the dangers are as well. More connected machines result in a greater potential for breaches. NFC provides no records, and therefore no audit trail. The signaling technology is not new and is already compromised. Security relating to NFC transactions remains a critical concern as Third Interface applications that leverage this technology begin to emerge.
About BillingViews
BillingViews is the global home for billing, payment, and customer experience information in the communications and media industries. Its goal is to facilitate dialogue between executive level business and IT decision makers and the greater communications and media IT marketplace through focused, data-driven research and publications. BillingViews content is available free athttp://www.billingviews.com.
BillingViews is the global home for billing, payment, and customer experience information in the communications and media industries. Its goal is to facilitate dialogue between executive level business and IT decision makers and the greater communications and media IT marketplace through focused, data-driven research and publications. BillingViews content is available free athttp://www.billingviews.com.