Using Near Field Communication (NFC) Beyond Mobile Payments

RIM NFC Technology
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ianfogg42/6821928410/

RIM is leading the pack with its Blackberry Smartphones – Positioned at the forefront of NFC.

The first thing people think of when they hear the word NFC is mobile payments and Google Wallet. Granted Google has done a great job of marketing their Wallet, but mobile payments is a fraction of what NFC can do.

Google Wallet, Apple Passbook, Visa payWave and others, are all revolving around payments or some form of payment such as ticket reservations etc.

RIM on the other hand, is taking NFC Technology beyond just mobile payments. Beside being able to make payments for many things, your Blackberry Smartphone will be all you need in your everyday life. Open and start your car, activate or deactivate your home alarm, check-in at the airport and even use your Blackberry smartphone as a boarding pass. Make no mistake, all this is coming and in the very near future.

Did I mention using your Blackberry Smartphone as your secure access badge at work? back in September 2011, HID®, the Trusted Source for Secure Identity Solutions, announced plans to support the company’s iCLASS® digital keys and mobile secure identity on NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones.

RIM’s vision enabled it to be positioned at the forefront of mobile makers’ use of NFC Technology and its leadership and technology are sought after by mobile carriers. The BlackBerry maker has been selected by Canadian carrier joint venture EnStream to handle secure credential management for SIMs used in both Android and Windows smartphones as well as its own BlackBerry NFC devices. This is definitely a good achievement and a great source of revenue stream for RIM.

As I mentioned in my previous article, Smartphone market is not RIM’s only game to play. We are beyond Smartphone for phone calls, texting, messaging and emails. The Blackberry BB10 is already positioned to lead the next revolution of connected ecosystems. Tap-To-Pay Smartphones has been a dream for a while, RIM’s Blackberry BB10 will make it a reality. It seems true that the Blackberry experience is Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented.

RIM Stock Performance

In a nutshell, RIM stock increased 110% since September 4, 2012 when it was trading at $6.58 and today December 13, 2012, the stock price closed at $13.86. According to some analysts, RIM’s stock could reach $43. So whether the stock hits $20 or $43, those who bought it while it was at $6-$7 mark will see a nice gain.

Disclosure: I am long RIMM.