Samsung Wants Galaxy Cases NFC-Enabled

According to reports from DDaily, Samsung is considering a mandate that would require all accessories of its forthcoming Galaxy S6 handset devices to come equipped with near-field-communication (NFC) authentication chips.

DDaily reports that Samsung plans to supply these chips to the manufacturers that produce Galaxy S6 accessories, and that the chips will likely be implemented into phone cases first.

Samsung is set to reveal the new Galaxy S6 phone at the Mobile World Congress on March 1 of this year. Reports say Samsung will simultaneously unveil Samsung Pay, its response to rival Apple Pay that will come preloaded on the new Galaxy S6 devices. By requiring NFC-enabled Samsung phone cases, Samsung may be gearing for a major push of its mobile payment service.

Rumors of the NFC cases follow reports earlier this month that Samsung Pay will have a non-NFC payment system developed by Massachusetts startup LoopPay. The company’s contactless card reader is already accepted at more than 10 million retailers, giving it a significant leg-up on the competition from Apple, whose Apple Pay is only accepted at a fraction of those locations.

For Samsung, insiders say the new payment system will be accessed by a stationary fingerprint sensor.