NFC TimesThe premier source for news, analysis and commentary on
Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

NFC TIMES Exclusive Insight – It was the fall of 2015, and interest in the Pays wallets was burgeoning. Google and Samsung had each launched their respective payments services in September of 2015 in the U.S., following introduction of Apple Pay a year earlier.

NFC Times Exclusive – A source at LG Electronics has confirmed to NFC Times that the smartphone maker has decided to push back the launch of LG Pay from next week in order to focus on the launch of its next flagship phone, the G5. It’s possible the OEM will not launch until the second half of 2016.

NFC Times Exclusive Insight – While LG Electronics has released few details about its planned payments service, LG Pay, or even revealed the technology it will use, there seems to be little doubt about its business model: LG believes it needs an additional payments feature to keep its devices competitive with rivals Apple, Samsung and other smartphone OEMs that might launch payments services.

LG Electronics has signed a global licensing deal for NFC technology patents from Inside Secure, an initial win for Inside and its strategy to try to cash in on its NFC IP.

NXP Semiconductors said sales in its emerging ID business–mainly made up of its NFC chips–increased by 22% in the second quarter, compared with the first quarter, and CEO Richard Clemmer insisted the chip maker’s secure element business would continue to remain a strong contributor.

Continuing last year’s trend for an increased role for NFC in consumer electronics, manufacturers introduced NFC-enabled devices ranging from speakers to home-lighting systems at last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

NFC Times Exclusive: Samsung Electronics has split the NFC chip supply contracts for its new Galaxy Note 3, possibly the first major NFC device that has multiple chip suppliers, NFC Times has learned.

Japan’s Sony Corp. is producing millions of NFC tags for the company’s consumer electronics devices and accessories, following the introduction by Sony of its NFC-based One-touch connectivity feature, a representative told NFC Times.

BARCELONA – Visa and Samsung Electronics have announced a landmark agreement that will see a Visa payWave application preloaded on the embedded secure elements in forthcoming NFC-enabled Samsung devices.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – NFC technology this year is likely to make its way into a greater variety of consumer products, including televisions, DVD players, digital cameras, even an automatic vacuum cleaner, if demonstrations at last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are any indication.