E-Wallets Drive NFC-Enabled SIM Card Shipments (April 11, 2013)
Global shipments of NFC-enabled SIM cards rose 87 percent in 2012 compared with the previous year, according to SIMalliance. The London-based nonprofit trade association, which supports the creation, deployment and management of secure mobile services and applications, this week released a report on 2012 SIM shipments based on data provided by its members, which represent approximately 90 percent of the global market. SIMalliance members reported 30 million NFC shipments globally in 2012. The strongest NFC SIM markets were Japan/Korea (21 million) and Western Europe (6 million).
The global proliferation of e-wallet pilots and commercial program launches involving NFC-enabled phones means continued demand for NFC-enabled SIM cards, said SIMalliance Chairman Frédéric Vasnier during a Webinar held Tuesday. SIM providers will be shipping “not only more complex, high-end products, but certainly products with a lot more memory and more processing power to ensure [consumers can pay using contact and contactless methods],” he said.
