Company to deliver some 17,000 NFC readers to Europe
On Track Innovations (OTI), a developer of identification, payment, and loyalty applications, has announced that it has received an order for more than 17,000 NFC readers from Europe. OTI has not released the identification of the organization(s) that has placed the order. The order is likely linked to the growing interest surrounding mobile commerce in Europe. Many European countries are beginning to see mobile commerce as a legitimate aspect of the financial world. As and industry, mobile commerce has managed to garner the support of the world’s largest financial and technology organizations, adding momentum to its adoption.
Demand for NFC technology grows as mobile commerce industry expands
Mobile commerce is powered largely by near field communication (NFC) technology. The technology is capable of transmitting digital information over short distances, as its name suggests. In commerce, this means that the technology could be used to facilitate mobile payments for goods and services as it would be capable of transmitting financial information to a computer system. This concept is particularly attractive to the mobile industry, which has begun adding NFC chips to smart phones and other such devices to allow consumers to make mobile payments.
NFC readers expected to be used by retailers and other companies
OTI expects that the majority of the 17,000 NFC readers it will be shipping will be heading off to Europe at some point in 2013. These readers are expected to be used at retail stores and other venues as a means to make mobile transactions possible. The readers will be able to register the information being transmitted by NFC-enabled mobile devices. While the readers are not designed solely for use in mobile commerce, this is the most popular use for such technology thus far.
Orders may be linked to growing popularity of mobile commerce
In May of this year, OTI received an order for 30,000 NFC readers that were delivered to the U.S. market. The company notes that the ordering of NFC readers is may be due to the growing popularity of mobile commerce, as many companies are now showing their eagerness to take part on the burgeoning industry.
