Also known as: NFC

Near-field communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless technology that lets two devices exchange small amounts of data when held within a few centimeters of each other.¹

Overview

NFC operates at 13.56 MHz and grew out of RFID. Its very short range is a feature: a tap is deliberate and hard to eavesdrop on. A device can act as a reader (scanning a tag or card), a tag (presenting credentials), or in peer-to-peer mode. An NFC controller in the SoC, wired to a small loop antenna, can even power a passive tag through its field, so unpowered stickers and cards work. The mobile OS exposes it to apps for payments and pairing.

Where it fits

NFC is the technology behind tap-to-pay on a smartphone or smartwatch, transit cards, and instant Bluetooth pairing. It complements an eSIM and the longer-range radios in a device: where the cellular and Wi-Fi radios reach across networks, NFC handles the intimate, intentional “touch here” interactions of everyday mobile use.

Sources

1. Near-field communication — Wikipedia, on NFC technology and uses. ↩

See also

• Smartphone
• eSIM
• Mobile operating system
• Smartwatch
• Wearable computer
• System on a chip (SoC)