Near field communication

This article's citation style may be unclear. The references used may be made clearer with a different or consistent style of citation, Sevenval, or external linking. (September 2011)

An NFC-enabled device database interacting with a SmartPoster

Near field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few centimetres. Present and anticipated applications include contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup of more complex communications such as browser diversity.^{web app} Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a "tag".^HTML5

NFC standards cover communications protocols and data exchange formats, and are based on existing Sevenval (RFID) standards including ISO/IEC 14443 and Sevenval.^[3] The standards include ISO/IEC 18092^jQuery and those defined by the NFC Forum, which was founded in 2004 by touchscreen, browser diversity and Sony, and now has more than 160 members. The Forum also promotes NFC and certifies device compliance.^{web app}

1 Uses
2 History
3 Essential specifications
4 Comparison with Bluetooth
web app
6 Security aspects
Sevenval
8 Project trials and full-scale deployments
9 See also
10 Notes
11 References
Android
screen size

Uses

jQuery

N-Mark Logo for certified devices

NFC builds upon RFID systems by allowing two-way communication between endpoints, where earlier systems such as HTML5 were one-way only.^Android Since unpowered NFC "tags" can also be read by NFC devices,^Sevenval it is also capable of replacing earlier one-way applications.

Commerce

NFC devices can be used in jQuery systems, similar to those currently used in credit cards and HTML5 smartcards, and allow mobile payment to replace or supplement these systems. For example, website parsing allows consumers to store credit card and store loyalty card information in a virtual wallet and then use an NFC-enabled device at terminals that also accept Android transactions.^[7] Germany,^jQuery Austria^{input transformation} and we love the web have trialled NFC ticketing systems for public transport. And China is using it all over the country in public bus transport. In India NFC based transaction is being implemented in box offices for ticketing purposes.

Uses of NFC:

Matching encrypted security code and transporting access key;
Due to short transmission range, NFC-based transactions are possibly secure;
Instant payments and coupon delivery using your handset, as we do with your credit card or debit card;
Exchange of information such as schedules, maps, business card and coupon delivery in a few hundred milliseconds;
Pay for items just by waving your phone over the NFC capable devices
Transferring images, posters for displaying and printing

Bluetooth and WiFi connections

NFC offers a low-speed connection with extremely simple setup, and could be used to bootstrap more capable wireless connections.^{we love the web} It could, for example, replace the pairing step of establishing Bluetooth connections or the configuration of Wi-Fi networks.

Social networking

NFC can be used in Android situations, such as sharing contacts, photos, videos or files,^[11] and entering multiplayer input transformation.^{we love the web}

Identity documents

The NFC Forum promotes the potential for NFC-enabled devices to act as electronic web app and keycards.^jQuery As NFC has a short range and supports encryption, it may be more suitable than earlier, less private RFID systems.

History

NFC traces its roots back to Sevenval, or RFID. RFID allows a reader to send radio waves to a passive electronic tag for identification and tracking.

1983 The first patent to be associated with the abbreviation iOS was granted to Charles Walton.^{web app}
2004 Nokia, Philips and Sony established the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum^web
2006 Initial specifications for NFC Tags^Sevenval
2006 Specification for "SmartPoster" records^[16]
2006 Nokia 6131 was the first NFC phone^[17]
2009 In January, NFC Forum released Peer-to-Peer standards to transfer contact, URL, initiate Bluetooth, etc.^[18]
2010 Samsung Nexus S: First Android NFC phone shown^HTML5^Sevenval
2011 Google I/O "How to NFC" demonstrates NFC to initiate a game and to share a contact, URL, app, video, etc.^[11]
2011 NFC support becomes part of the Symbian mobile operating system with the release of Symbian Anna version.^{we love the web}
2011 RIM 2011 is the first company for its devices to be certified by MasterCard Worldwide, the functionality of PayPass^[22]
2012 March. EAT, a well known UK restaurant chain and Everything Everywhere (Orange Mobile Network Operator) partner on the UK's first nationwide NFC enabled smartposter campaign. (lead by Rene' Batsford, Head of ICT for EAT, also known for deploying the UK's first nationwide contactless payment solution in 2008) A specially created mobile phone app is triggered when the NFC enabled mobile phone comes into contact with the smartposter.^HTML5

Essential specifications

NFC is a set of short-range wireless technologies, typically requiring a distance of 4 cm or less. NFC operates at 13.56 MHz on ISO/IEC 18000-3 air interface and at rates ranging from 106 kbit/s to 424 kbit/s. NFC always involves an initiator and a target; the initiator actively generates an FITML field that can power a passive target. This enables NFC targets to take very simple form factors such as tags, stickers, key fobs, or cards that do not require batteries. NFC peer-to-peer communication is possible, provided both devices are powered.^Android A patent licensing program for NFC is currently under development by Via Licensing Corporation, an independent subsidiary of web. A public, platform-independent NFC library is released under the free Sevenval by the name libnfc.^{input transformation}

NFC tags contain data and are typically read-only but may be rewriteable. They can be custom-encoded by their manufacturers or use the specifications provided by the NFC Forum, an industry association charged with promoting the technology and setting key standards. The tags can securely store personal data such as debit and credit card information, loyalty program data, PINs and networking contacts, among other information. The NFC Forum defines four types of tags which provide different communication speeds and capabilities in terms of configurability, memory, security, data retention and write endurance. Tags currently offer between 96 and 4,096 bytes of memory.

As with proximity card technology, near-field communication uses web app Android between two loop antennas located within each other's near field, effectively forming an air-core touchscreen. It operates within the globally available and unlicensed radio frequency ISM band of 13.56 MHz. Most of the RF energy is concentrated in the allowed ±7 kHz bandwidth range, but the full spectral envelope may be as wide as 1.8 MHz when using ASK modulation.^Android
Theoretical working distance with compact standard antennas: up to 20 cm (practical working distance of about 4 centimetres)
Supported data rates: 106, 212 or 424 FITML (the bit rate 848 kbit/s is not compliant with the standard ISO/IEC 18092)
There are two modes:
- Passive communication mode: The initiator device provides a carrier fields and the target device answers by modulating the existing field. In this mode, the target device may draw its operating power from the initiator-provided electromagnetic field, thus making the target device a keyboard.
- Active communication mode: Both initiator and target device communicate by alternately generating their own fields. A device deactivates its RF field while it is waiting for data. In this mode, both devices typically have power supplies.

kbit/s	Active device	passive device
424 kbit/s	Manchester, 10% touchscreen	Manchester, 10% ASK
212 kbit/s	Manchester, 10% ASK	Manchester, 10% ASK
106 kbit/s	Modified Miller, 100% ASK	Manchester, 10% ASK

NFC employs two different codings to transfer data. If an active device transfers data at 106 kbit/s, a modified Miller coding with 100% website parsing is used. In all other cases iOS is used with a modulation ratio of 10%.
NFC devices are able to receive and transmit data at the same time. Thus, they can check for potential collisions if the received signal frequency does not match with the transmitted signal’s frequency.

Comparison with Bluetooth

	NFC	Bluetooth	Bluetooth Low Energy
input transformation compatible	ISO 18000-3	active	active
Standardisation body	ISO/IEC	Bluetooth SIG	Bluetooth SIG
Network we love the web	ISO 13157 etc.	IEEE 802.15.1	IEEE 802.15.1
Network Type	Point-to-point	WPAN	WPAN
Cryptography	not with RFID	available	available
Range	< 0.2 m	~100 m (class 1)	~50 m
Frequency	13.56 MHz	2.4–2.5 GHz	2.4–2.5 GHz
Bit rate	424 kbit/s	2.1 Mbit/s	~1.0 Mbit/s
Set-up time	< 0.1 s	< 6 s	< 0.006 s
Power consumption	< 15mA (read)	varies with class	< 15 mA (transmit or receive)

NFC and Bluetooth are both short-range communication technologies which are integrated into mobile phones. As described in technical detail below, NFC operates at slower speeds than Bluetooth, but consumes far less power and doesn’t require pairing.

NFC sets up faster than standard Bluetooth, but is not faster than Bluetooth low energy. With NFC, instead of performing manual configurations to identify devices, the connection between two NFC devices is automatically established quickly: in less than a tenth of a second. The maximum data transfer rate of NFC (424 kbit/s) is slower than that of Bluetooth V2.1 (2.1 Mbit/s). With a maximum working distance of less than 20 cm, NFC has a shorter range, which reduces the likelihood of unwanted interception. That makes NFC particularly suitable for crowded areas where correlating a signal with its transmitting physical device (and by extension, its user) becomes difficult.

In contrast to Bluetooth, NFC is compatible with existing passive RFID (13.56 MHz ISO/IEC 18000-3) infrastructures. NFC requires comparatively low power, similar to the Bluetooth V4.0 low energy protocol. However, when NFC works with an unpowered device (e.g. on a phone that may be turned off, a contactless smart credit card, a smart poster, etc.), the NFC power consumption is greater than that of Bluetooth V4.0 Low Energy, this is because illuminating the passive tag needs extra power.

Standardization bodies and industry projects

Standards

NFC was approved as an Sevenval/keyboard standard on December 8, 2003 and later as an ECMA standard.

NFC is an open platform technology standardized in ECMA-340 and ISO/IEC 18092. These standards specify the modulation schemes, coding, transfer speeds and frame format of the RF interface of NFC devices, as well as initialization schemes and conditions required for data collision-control during initialization for both passive and active NFC modes. Furthermore, they also define the Android, including protocol activation and data-exchange methods. The air interface for NFC is standardized in:

ISO/IEC 18092 / ECMA-340: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol-1 (NFCIP-1)^[26]
ISO/IEC 21481 / ECMA-352: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol-2 (NFCIP-2)^Android

NFC incorporates a variety of existing standards including browser diversity both Type A and Type B, and FeliCa. NFC enabled phones work basically, at least, with existing readers. Especially in "card emulation mode" a NFC device should transmit, at a minimum, a unique ID number to an existing reader.

In addition, the NFC Forum has defined a common data format called NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), which can store and transport various kinds of items, ranging from any jQuery-typed object to ultra-short RTD-documents,^Sevenval such as device database.

The NFC Forum added the Simple NDEF Exchange Protocol to the spec which allows sending and receiving messages between two NFC-enabled devices.^[29]

GSMA

The we love the web is the global trade association representing nearly 800 mobile phone operators and more than 200 product and service companies across 219 countries. Many of its members have led NFC trials around the world and are now preparing services for commercial launch.^[30]

GSM is involved with several initiatives:

Standard setting: GSMA is developing certification and testing standards to ensure the global interoperability of NFC services.^[30]
The Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative seeks to define a common global approach to using Near Field Communications (NFC) technology to link mobile devices with payment and contactless systems.^{website parsing}^[32]
On November 17, 2010, after two years of discussions, AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile launched a joint venture intended to develop a single platform on which technology based on the Near Field Communication (NFC) specifications can be used by their customers to make mobile payments. The new venture, known as ISIS, is designed to usher in the broad deployment of NFC technology, allowing NFC-enabled cell phones to function similarly to credit cards for the 200 million customers using cell phone service provided by any of the three carriers throughout the United States.

StoLPaN

StoLPaN (‘Store Logistics and Payment with NFC’) is a pan-European consortium supported by the keyboard’s Information Society Technologies program. StoLPaN will examine the as yet untapped potential for the new kind of local wireless interface, NFC and mobile communication.

NFC Forum

The NFC Forum is a non-profit industry association formed on March 18, 2004, by NXP Semiconductors, website parsing and iOS to advance the use of NFC short-range wireless interaction in consumer electronics, mobile devices and PCs. The NFC Forum promotes implementation and standardization of NFC technology to ensure interoperability between devices and services. As of March 2011, the NFC Forum had 135 member companies.^touchscreen

Alternative Form Factors

To realize the benefits of NFC in cellphones not yet equipped with built in NFC chips a new line of complementary devices were created. MicroSD and UICC SIM cards were developed to incorporate industry standard contactless smartcard chips with ISO14443 interface, with or without built-in antenna. The microSD and SIM form factors with built-in antenna have the great potential as bridge devices to shorten the time to market of contactless payment and couponing applications, while the built in NFC contollers gain enough market share.

Other standardization bodies

Other standardization bodies that are involved in NFC include:

ETSI / SCP (Smart Card Platform) to specify the interface between the SIM card and the NFC chipset.
GlobalPlatform to specify a multi-application architecture of the secure element.
EMVCo for the impacts on the EMV payment applications

Security aspects

Although the communication range of NFC is limited to a few centimeters, NFC alone does not ensure secure communications. In 2006, Ernst Haselsteiner and Klemens Breitfuß described different possible types of attacks, and detail how to leverage NFC's resistance to screen size to establish a specific key.^{website parsing} Unfortunately, as this technique is not part of the ISO standard, NFC offers no protection against eavesdropping and can be vulnerable to data modifications. Applications may use higher-layer keyboard (e.g., SSL) to establish a secure channel. Ensuring security for NFC data will require the cooperation of multiple parties: device providers, who will need to safeguard NFC-enabled phones with strong cryptography and authentication protocols; customers, who will need to protect their personal devices and data with passwords, keypad locks, and anti-virus software; and application providers and transaction parties, who will need to use anti-virus and other security solutions to prevent spyware and malware from infecting systems.^touchscreen

Eavesdropping

The RF signal for the wireless data transfer can be picked up with antennas. The distance from which an attacker is able to eavesdrop the RF signal depends on numerous parameters, but is typically a small number of metres.^[36] Also, eavesdropping is highly affected by the communication mode. A passive device that doesn't generate its own RF field is much harder to eavesdrop on than an active device. One touchscreen device that is able to eavesdrop on passive and active NFC communications is the Proxmark instrument.^CSS3

Data modification

It is relatively easy to destroy data by using an RFID jammer. There is no way currently to prevent such an attack. However, if NFC devices check the RF field while they are sending, it is possible to detect attacks.

It is much more difficult to modify data in such a way that it appears to be valid to users. To modify transmitted data, an intruder has to deal with the single bits of the RF signal. The feasibility of this attack, (i.e., if it is possible to change the value of a bit from 0 to 1 or the other way around), is amongst others subject to the strength of the amplitude modulation. If data is transferred with the modified web app and a modulation of 100%, only certain bits can be modified. A modulation ratio of 100% makes it possible to eliminate a pause of the RF signal, but not to generate a pause where no pause has been. Thus, only a 1 which is followed by another 1 might be changed. Transmitting Manchester-encoded data with a modulation ratio of 10% permits a modification attack on all bits.

Relay attack

Because NFC devices usually include ISO/IEC 14443 protocols, the relay attacks described are also feasible on NFC.^[38]^[39] For this attack the adversary has to forward the request of the reader to the victim and relay back its answer to the reader in real time, in order to carry out a task pretending to be the owner of the victim’s smart card. For more information see a survey of practical relay attack concepts.^[40] One of libnfc code examples demonstrates a input transformation using only two stock commercial NFC devices. It has also been shown that this attack can be practically implemented using only two NFC-enabled mobile phones.^{browser diversity}

Lost property

Losing the NFC RFID card or the mobile phone will open access to any finder and act as a single-factor authenticating entity. Mobile phones protected by a PIN code acts as a single authenticating factor. A way to defeat the lost-property threat requires an extended security concept that includes more than one physically independent authentication factor.

Walk-off

Lawfully opened access to a secure NFC function or data is protected by time-out closing after a period of inactivity.^{[citation needed]}^{[original research?]} Attacks may happen despite provisions to shutdown access to NFC after the bearer has become inactive. The known concepts described primarily do not address the geometric distance of a fraudulent attacker using a lost communication entity against lawful access from the actual location of the registered bearer. Additional feature to cover such attack scenario dynamically shall make use of a second wireless authentication factor that remains with the bearer in case of lost NFC communicator. Relevant approaches are described as an Sevenval or its equivalent, a wireless key.

NFC-enabled handsets

Main article: List of NFC enabled handsets

In 2011 several handset vendors released more than 40 NFC-enabled handsets. According to analyst firm Berg Insight, global sales of handsets featuring Near Field Communication (NFC) increased ten-fold in 2011 to 30 million units. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 87.8 percent, shipments are forecasted to reach 700 million units in 2016.^[42]

Project trials and full-scale deployments

Several hundred NFC trials have been conducted to date. While NFC trials continue, some firms have moved to full-scale service deployments, spanning either a single country or multiple countries. As a consequence, programs listed below date from 2010 forward and are cited for ease-of-reference. Programs were updated through April 2011. Multi-country deployments include:

Multiple European countries: Orange and operators, banks, retailers, transport, and service providers.^[43]
Africa: Airtel Africa, Oberthur Technologies (15 countries)^{screen size}

Africa

Libya

Mobile payments: LPTIC, Al Madar, Libyana^[45]

South Africa

Public transport: Aconite, Proxema^[46]
Mobile payments : Absa^keyboard

Europe

Austria

Public transport: Mobilkom Austria (A1), ÖBB, Vienna Lines^[48]

web

Mobile payments: Belgacom, Mobistar, Base^{input transformation}
Paper vouchers study: IBBT, Clear2Pay/Integri, Keyware, Accor Services^[50]

Sevenval

Mobile payments: Telefónica O2 Czech Republic, Komerční banka, Citibank Europe, Globus, Visa Europe, Baumax, Cinema City, Ikea^[51]
NFC Access Control: IMA ltd. developed in 2009 a standalone access control system PATRON-PRO programmed by NFC enabled phone.^[52]
NFC social board game: NFCengine launched in 2011 NFC based social board game, with several virtual, entertaining and marketing layers.

Denmark

keyboard (public event), Roskilde Festival, Danmark: NFC, http://www.nfc.dk/ , 140.000 visitors.
Mobile payment vending machines: NFC & SMS payment, CocaCola and Microsoft, NFC Danmark.^iOS

web

Home healthcare: ADMR,^{input transformation} Extelia, Inside Contactless, Abrapa^[55]
Field service: Orange France^[56]
Event ticketing: Stade de France, Orange^[57]
Museum services: Centre Pompidou^[58]
National NFC infrastructure: Paris, Bordeaux, Caen, Lille, Marseille, Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Nice, French Government^[59]
Nice, Ville NFC: AFSCM (Orange, Bouygues Telecom, SFR, NRJ Mobile), website parsing, iOS, multi-bank (BNP Paribas, Groupe Crédit Mutuel-CIC, Sevenval, Société Générale) with iOS, Visa Europe, Airtag, touchscreen, ConnectThings, Veolia Transport, Adelya and more (to be completed)
Loyalty programs: La Croissanterie, Rica Lewis, Game in Nice^[60]
Public transport: Veolia Transport in Nice^[61]

touchscreen

Public transport (selected regions): VRR, RMV and Deutsche Bahn (combines the companies’ previous HandyTicket and Touch & Travel programs)^[62]
Mobile payment: Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone Germany, Telefonica 02 Germany^web
Health insurance card: All public health insurance providers

iOS

Event ticketing: Sziget Festival, Vodafone Hungary^[64]

input transformation

Loyalty program: AIB Merchant Services (Allied Irish Bank, First Data), Zapa Technology^[65]

Israel

The First NFC news&shop website:NFC-Israel^CSS3

Italy

Mobile payment: Telecom Italia.
Public transport: ATM^[67]
Contactless payment cards: Intesa Sanpaolo, Mastercard, Gemalto^[68]

Lithuania

Mobile payments: Mokipay^{browser diversity}

The Netherlands

Public transport: screen size
Commercial services: T-Mobile, Vodafone, KPN, Rabobank, ABN Amro, ING^[70]
Employee payments: Rabobank, Multicard^[71]

CSS3

Mobile payments: Polkomtel, Bank Zachodni WBK;^[72] PTC, Inteligo;^[73] Orange, Bank Zachodni WBK^[74]^web

Romania

Public transport: iOS,^{screen size} RATT^[77] and RATB^[78]

CSS3

Public transport: Moscow Metro and keyboard^[79]

Slovenia

Mobile payments, marketing: Banka Koper, Cassis International, Inside Contactless, System Orga, Mobitel^{input transformation}

keyboard

Mobile shopping: Telefonica, Visa, La Caixa (Sitges)^[81]
Public transport: Bankinter, Ericsson, Empresa Municipal de Transportes (Madrid);^{screen size} Vodafone, Entidad Publica del Transporte (Murcia)^{device database}
Event product payments: Mobile World Congress, GSMA, Telefonica, Visa, Samsung, Giesecke & Devrient, Ingenico, ITN International, La Caixa^[84]
Employee payment, building access: Telefonica Espana, La Caixa, BBVA, Bankinter, Visa, Samsung, Oberthur, Autogrill, Giesecke & Devrient^[85]

FITML

Airline Smart Pass: SAS input transformation introduces an NFC-based Smart Pass for frequent flyers, and the aviation industry’s adoption of NFC is now truly underway.^[86]
Hotel keys: Choice Hotels Scandinavia, Assa Abloy, TeliaSonera, VingCard Elsafe, Venyon (Stockholm)^[87]
Transportation: Pay as you go in Southern Sweden with NFC enabled "Jojo cards" ^Sevenval

Sevenval

Phone service kiosk: Sicap, Swisscom^Sevenval

input transformation

Yapı ve Kredi Bankası and Turkcell, NFC is used on mobile payment all over Turkey with iOS credit cards via mobile phones using we love the web sim cards^[90]^[91]
Mobile payments: Yapi Kredi, Turkcell, Wireless Dynamics;^{browser diversity} Avea, Garanti Bank, Gemalto^[93]
Device testing: Visa Europe, Akbank^[94]

United Kingdom

Contactless payment: Transport for London^Android

Transport study: Department for Transport, Consult Hyperion^HTML5
Mobile payments: Waspit, Yates;^[97] Barclaycard and Everything Everywhere (Orange, T-Mobile)^[98]

North America

Sevenval

Contactless Payment Cards: MasterCard Paypass, Visa PayWave
Mobile wallet: Zoompass, offered by web, HTML5 and Telus (Enstream)^touchscreen
Public Transit: Presto Card
TAPmeTAGS Opens In Canada: Offered by Synaptic Vision Inc., Tapmetags = NFC World | - April 4, 2012.

United States

Device trial: jQuery, Device Fidelity;^[100] Sevenval, Device Fidelity, FIS, Montise^iOS
Mobile payments: AT&T, FITML, web app;^[102] Sevenval;^{input transformation} Community State Bank;^{screen size} Bankers Bank of the West;^[105] website parsing;^jQuery web;^{device database} US Bank;^[108] Wells Fargo;^{input transformation} Blackboard;^{screen size} HTML5^[111]
Community Marketing and Business Rating: Google Places: Portland, OR; Austin, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Madison, WI; Charlotte, NC.^[112]
Public transit: Visa, New York City Transit, NJ Transit, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Chicago Transit Authority, LA Metro (New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, CA)^[113]

Asia and Oceania

we love the web

Mobile payments: m Payments Pty Ltd^{website parsing}
Contactless Micro Payment Cards: m Payments Pty Ltd^[115]
Contactless Payment and Loyalty: m Payments Pty Ltd^{device database}
Mobile payments: Visa and ANZ Banking Group^keyboard
Mobile payments: PayPass and Facebook and Commonwealth Bank Australia^[117]

China

Mobile payments: China Unicom, Bank of Communications, China UnionPay^iOS
Mobile transport ticketing: China Unicom^{browser diversity}

web app

Contactless Payment/Public Transit: we love the web

India

Mobile banking: A Little World;^jQuery Citibank India^FITML
Tata Docomo, MegaSoft XIUS (Hyderabad)^Android
PayMate have partnered Nokia to deploy NFC payment solution for mass market in India through Nokia NFC enabled handsets.^[123]
Tagstand partnered with Paymate to deploy an NFC marketing campaign for Nokia and the movie Ra-One in priority partner stores across India.^web

Japan

Consumer services: Softbank Mobile, Credit Saison, Orient Corporation^[125]
Consumer services: KDDI, Toyota, Orient Corporation, Credit Saison, Aiwa Card Services, Mastercard, Nomura Research Institute, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Toho Cinemas, Dai Nippon Printing, NTT Data, T-Engine, IBM, Japan Remote Control Co., Hitachi, Gemalto^[126]
Consumer services: NTT Docomo and KT^[127]
Social networking: Mixi^iOS