You will be able to pay for purchases and get to train stations without having to physically touch your phone to an NFC terminal in the future. The NFC Forum, which defined the standards for NFC, revealed a road map for significant research and plans for near field communication until 2028. Apparently, one of the main priorities for the future of technology is to increase its size. Currently, NFC only works when two enabled devices are within 5 millimeters of each other, but the team says it’s currently testing ranges that are “four to six times the current operating distance.”
That’s 30 millimeters or 1.18 inches at most, but it can lead to faster transactions and fewer failures overall, because the longer range also means there is a lower accuracy requirement for to align the antenna. In addition, the forum is looking at improving the current NFC wireless charging specification from 1 watt to 3 watts. The capability will bring wireless charging to “new and small form factors,” the forum said, but did not provide examples of what those form factors might look like.
Another potential future NFC capability will support multiple actions with one tap. Based on the sample use cases listed in the forum — point-to-point receipt delivery, loyalty identification and total-journey ticketing — we can look at the possibility of validating transit tickets or venue tickets for the whole family with only one. tap or a device. NFC-enabled smartphones may have the power to serve as point-of-sale devices in the future, as well. Apple’s Tap to Pay now allows iPhone owners to use their phones as payment terminals. But a standardized capability will allow more people, especially in developing countries where Android is more widespread, to use their devices to offer payments for their small businesses and shops.
These plans are in various stages of development today, with some more advanced than others. The forum does not yet have a clear timeline for its debut, but said the timeframe for its plans will be two to five years.
