United Arab Emirates launches NFC identification pilot project

NFC technology gets a push with new test run.

The Emirates Telecommunications Corporation, the telecommunications company of the United Arab Emirates more commonly known as Etisalat, has announced a partnership with the Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA), an independent federal authority responsible for population registration. Through the partnership, the two organizations will be examining the possible uses of NFC technology for the Emirates ID card program. The duo have launched a pilot project in the UAE to collect data on how well the technology performs in this manner and whether or not citizens find some benefit in using NFC ID cards.

NFC technology gets a great deal of attention for its uses in mobile commerce. The technology is one of the major driving forces behind the expansion of mobile commerce and is finding favor with telecommunications companies and financial institutions around the world. The technology has found a niche in the world of marketing, where advertisers are using it to connect with consumers in a new way. NFC is not widely used beyond these two industries despite the fact that it has a lot more to offer in way of data transfer, identification, and social networking.

Etisalat believes that NFC can be used to provide convenient and safe services to UAE citizens. The organization is looking to establish an NFC infrastructure for the UAE’s rapidly changing economy. They believe that NFC-enabled ID card will make it easier for consumers to adapt to a new digital government and may help cut down on some of the problems inherent in what Etisalat believes is an outdated system.

The technology has been gaining momentum in the United Arab Emirates for some time. This momentum has exploded recently due to the rising number of NFC-enabled mobile devices in the country – as NFC grows so too does mobile commerce and mobile marketing. Etisalat and EIDA believe that now is the time to begin incorporating the technology into the country’s fundamental structure. If the pilot project is successful, the UAE will be the first country in the world to have an NFC-enabled identification system in place for its government.