May 2007, Near Field Communication (NFC) and sports ticketing
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology is a relatively new concept in ticketing. During the last seasons two football clubs (Manchester City FC, 2006-2007 (UK) and Roda JC, 2005-2006 (The Netherlands)) have tested the technology on their fans. Both clubs supplied their fans (30 fans by Man. City and 50 fans by Roda) with radio frequency–enabled mobile phones, where their season tickets where stored. These phones could then be used to open the turnstiles at the stadium through NFC.
Fans can also buy tickets either on-line or over the phone, the information from the database will then be sent to the turnstile and when the mobile phone is held against the turnstile the data is written to the NFC chip in the phone. In the future the mobile phone can also be used to pay for food and beverages or fan articles in the stadium. The outcome of the tests show that fans in all ages where positive to the new development.
A drawback of the technology is that at the moment there are a very limited number of mobile phones that are equipped to handle NFC. However according to Stuart Carlaw, a research Director at ABI Research, “By 2011, more than 30% of cellular handsets—some 450 million units—will incorporate NFC capabilities that will be used not only for payments at points of sale and remotely, but also to access information from ‘smart objects”.
What is NFC? Near Field Communication has been defined by the NFC Forum (NFC’s Industry Association) as “Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range wireless connectivity technology standard designed for intuitive, simple and safe communication between electronic devices. NFC communication is enabled by bringing two NFC compatible devices within a few centimeters of one another or for the two devices to literally "touch" one another. Applications of NFC technology include contactless transactions such as payment and transit ticketing, simple and fast data transfers including calendar synchronization or electronic business cards and access to online digital content.”
To gain an overview of the NFC technology we have listed some of the advantages and disadvantages of the technology below:
Advantages:
- No need to carry an extra RFID-card, everything is integrated in your mobile phone
- It provides the user updates on credits left and transactions made without the user having to use a separate terminal
- The technology is secure since it has to “touch” the reader in order to transfer data
Disadvantages:
- Not enough NFC enabled mobile devices on the market yet
- No determined standard for downloading smartcard information to devices, due to its intellectual property
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