NFC Times Exclusive: Mobile network operators will take delivery of at least two-thirds more NFC SIMs this year than in 2013, predicts operator trade association, the GSMA, though the impact of host-card emulation remains to be seen.
2014 will mark the first full year of NFC service in such regions or countries as North America, China and some Western European countries. The growth rate for NFC SIMs was much higher in 2013, but that is compared with 2012, in which NFC SIM shipments had not gotten rolling outside of South Korea and Japan.
The mobile operator association said last month that despite the interest building in the industry for host-card emulation, it believes many service providers will stick with secure elements on NFC SIM cards for payments. In addition, the popular transit fare collection technology Mifare can't be used with HCE.