ABI Research has raised the estimate of the number of NFC-enabled mobile devices to be shipped in 2012. Research analyst Phil Sealy comments; “2012 is the first time that ABI Research has raised forecasts for NFC-enabled handsets, up from 80 million units to 102 million for year-end 2012. Nine out of the top ten OEMs now have NFC-enabled handsets commercially available, with most housing an embedded secure element solution. We expect handset shipments to more than double next year with NFC inclusion likely to become a default technology integrated into flagship handsets.”
According to the forecast a total of 1.95 billion NFC-enabled devices will ship in 2017—a combination of both handsets and CE Devices. While handsets will still hold the majority of the market there will be a rise in the number of devices with NFC functionality. In total, 395 million CE devices will ship in 2017, predominantly into media tablets, PC accessories, and gaming consoles, according to the research.
NFC inclusion into devices other than handsets shows market development and an understanding that NFC will be more than payments. Added value will be provided through the enablement of convenient online/offline authentication, retail and loyalty applications, reader functionality, AFC, and advertising as a host of value added opportunities presented to service providers from which they can draw new revenue streams. London is already seeing a myriad of NFC-enabled billboards where brands allow customers to connect with them by tapping the adverts with their smartphones.
The research is available here and covers as well as country specific information for many European countries such as Poland, Germany, UK and France.
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