NFC stands for Near Field Communication. It is a new kind of technology that allows secure and contactless communication within a short distance (4 cm or less). Many things use this technology, but you may not be aware of them. Usually, an NFC SIM card is a SIM card that can communicate with the NFC antenna of your handset directly. The SIM uses NFC as a contactless interface between the antenna and itself. To understand what NFC technology is and how it is used in a SIM card, read the article further.
Where is NFC technology used?
You go to the metro station and touch your AFC (automated fare collection) card on the main gate. Afterward, you travel through the metro train, step down at your destination station, and touch your AFC card at the exit again. The metro train commute fare gets deducted automatically from your AFC card. You reach your office, and, at the entrance gate, you touch your ID card. The arrival time gets registered and the gate opens.
You follow the same step while leaving the office. Likewise, you can go to some fast-food chain to have snacks or a meal. You tell your order to the salesperson, and they ask you to pay through the POS machine (Point-of-Sale terminal). At that time, you take your contactless debit or credit card out and touch it on the POS machine to make the payment. Consequently, you finished paying in an instant without entering any PIN (personal identification number).
In all the above cases, there was communication between your card and the machine for different purposes. We use NFC technology to establish it. But do notice that in the above examples, you were required to use a different card everywhere. What if you don’t require too many cards for different purposes? What if your smartphone or smartwatch can accomplish all these tasks alone? This is not something imaginary but real, and it has been used for a long time.
How does NFC work?
In India, everybody knows about fastag (a sticker pasted on the windshield of the car), as soon as the car crosses the tollgate on the highway, the toll fee is deducted automatically. Such kinds of exchange of information or transactions are done using a technology called RFID (Radio Frequency Identification). NFC can be considered the younger version of RFID. The only difference between RFID and NFC is that RFID can communicate at a large distance, while for NFC the devices must touch each other or at least must be in proximity.
Without being technical, understand it like this. Two NFC-enabled devices, when they cross paths, remain in close range, or touch each other, may exchange information instantly. It is also important to note that of the two interacting devices, at least one should be electrically active. Your bank card or employee ID card doesn’t run or operate on battery. But as soon as they come closer to an electrically active POS machine or something similar, they become active.
NFC in gadgets
Here are three common uses of NFC inside your gadgets:
Data sharing
If your Android or iOS smartphone offers you the NFC feature, you can easily share data with another device, whether iOS or Android, using the data beam option. Moreover, there are many apps on the Play Store/App Store that help you share data between two phones via NFC.
Payment
To make payments through the NFC feature of your smartphone, first, you will need to have an NFC payment app and a bank card. From iPhone 6 to the latest version of iPhones, all can make payments using NFC technology. The only thing you have to do is add your bank card details to your Apple Pay account. In Samsung as well! Only this time, you can spend money using the Samsung Pay app if your Samsung phone uses NFC.
Other Android devices that are NFC enabled can make payments via the Google Pay app after adding their bank card details. Many smartwatches and fitness trackers also support NFC payments. As per the Reserve Bank of India regulations, you can’t make a payment of more than 5,000 INR in India using NFC. The earlier limit was only up to 2,000 INR, so things are improving.
Ticketing and attendance
Smartphones, smartwatches, and fitness bands that are NFC enabled can be used to open the gates in a metro train or for entry and exit in your office. Although there are many such gadgets in India, the above-mentioned entry-exit system through smart devices hasn’t been initiated yet. But there are many countries where people don’t carry multiple NFC cards. Instead, they use their smart devices to do the job, though, they need to have a different app for each purpose.
NFC and the SIM card
NFC SIM is a combination of the NFC chip and a standard SIM card. Some mobile operators are using the term “NFC SIM card” which means the SIM card they offer can make payments through this technology. Such SIM cards can be used to make the aforementioned payments in different modes.
For instance, your NFC SIM can be used as a prepaid debit card and your payments could be added to your GSM phone bill. Or, you may open a bank account partnering with your mobile service provider. Implementation of the NFC feature on the SIM cards lets mobile operators provide their customers with a world of vast opportunities. The best part? It’s all accessible from their mobile phone or other SIM-enabled smart devices.
Parting Words
Most SIM cards are not NFC-enabled. Luckily, it’s true, you can make a normal SIM card capable of NFC features by attaching an NFC chip to it. Gemalto (a Netherlands-based company), now known as Thales DIS, provides NFC-enabled SIM cards. Bladox of the Czech Republic also supplies NFC SIM cards. Through the NFC technology, you can transfer small-sized data like a photo, phone contact, or a video, apart from payment transactions. Unlike Bluetooth, you don’t need to pair the devices to transmit data. They do the job automatically as soon as they come close to each other.