What is NFC and why is it useful? [MTE Explains]

If you take a look at the technical specifications of your smartphone, you might notice that it supports NFC. But what is it and why does your phone have it?

ContentsWhat is NFC?How is NFC used?Can I use NFC?Conclusion

What is NFC?

Many low-level processes rely on NFC for communication. Any transmission mechanism that involves "bumping" or touching devices together to exchange information is likely NFC-based. However, NFC is most commonly used for authentication.

You will find NFC used in contactless credit card terminals. The user taps or touches their credit card against the payment terminal to transmit payment information. It is also a key technology underlying Apple Pay and Android Pay. These proprietary payment systems use NFC as a communication band to transmit data. Some security badges also contain NFC tags, allowing users to open doors or access resources.

These aren't the only use cases, of course. Some business cards contain NFC, allowing users to copy contact data to their phone with just a touch. Smart locks use NFC for unlocking smartphones, and technology conventions sometimes use NFC in their badges to allow attendees to easily exchange contact information.

Can I use NFC?

You can use NFC all the time without even knowing it. NFC is prevalent in commercial applications, but it's not as useful as a consumer-focused technology. This largely comes down to NFC's data limitations. NFC data packets are quite small, reaching a maximum of eight kilobytes, or 8,192 bytes. This limitation, along with the ultra-short operating range, often makes NFC less practical than existing consumer technologies. Some smartphone makers like Samsung have tried to get users to use NFC-based sharing technologies, but with little success.

Conclusion

NFC is a useful technology with a narrow scope of use. It's perfect for small-scale one-time actions, like opening a locked door or transferring payment details. But like QR codes, NFC hasn't had a mainstream application. Nevertheless, it is used consistently in commercial applications.

Image Credit:NFC_Tag_Structure, Apple-payment-square, Confirm Payment – ​​NAB Happy Tappers NFC PayWave