Last week we saw figures from Juniper Research that predicted almost 300 million NFC-capable smartphones by 2014, the equivalent of at least 1 in 5 worldwide.
This week Pyramid Research is also predicting a dramatic increase in NFC phones. By 2015, it reckons 28% of total smartphone sales - around 250 million units - will be NFC-enabled devices.
Stela Bokun, Mobile Devices Practice Leader at Pyramid Research, said “Mobile handsets that are NFC-capable will see skyrocketing sales in 2011 and 2012. These sales will be driven by the overwhelming supply of NFC-enabled smartphones that will hit the market in the next two years, as well as service providers’ ‘push’ marketing strategies across the globe. To trigger sales, equipment vendors will have to convince their users (mostly retailers) that the benefit from NFC-based services will outweigh the cost of investment. Over the next five years, as high-impact partnerships and profitable business models emerge, NFC-based services will become ubiquitous, consistent and secure. That will ultimately create sustainable demand for NFC-enabled devices, including handsets. The current abundance of business models will eventually yield a healthy NFC ecosystem, despite the initial hiccups.”
Pyramid Research expects the vast majority of NFC-enabled devices to be sold in the Asia/Pacific, Western Europe and North America regions.
[Report]