**7.1 NFC mobile payments applications**

With the technological advancement in the last decade, NFC enabled mobile devices are changing the way users receive data, make payments, and exchange information across devices all over the world. The advanced innovation has already been in use in Europe, Asia and North America because of powerful impact of influential mobile network operators (MNOs) in these parts of the world [60]. Different technologies such as RFID, contactless smart card, NFC, short message service (SMS), unstructured supplementary service data (USSD), wireless application protocol (WAP), interactive voice response (IVR), and so on, all contributed in the success of mobile payments. Presently, the integration of NFC technology in contactless mobile payments led to a tap-and-go tasks. In NFC enabled device, user needs to just touch or present phone to NFC enabled device and transfer or share data without any physical connection. For mobile payments, NFC has been set to be compatible with android, windows, and iOS operating system smartphones. Presently, there are many phones which are NFC compatible such as Samsung's Galaxy Series, Google's Nexus Series, and the iPhone. Some of the NFC payment applications for tap-and-go are Google Pay, Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, Samsung Pay, Square Wallet, LifeLock Wallet and Visa payWave. NFC enabled mobile payment is reducing the need for physical form of payment between consumer and merchants. For example, mobile point of sale (mPOS) units are providing wireless devices to replace traditional cash registers and sale terminals [61]. These units are wire free and easy to install, for example, customers can buy apple products without going to cashier using mPOS device. Social shopping and, mobile wallets are some other examples of mobile payments. According to a recent report from Technavio, the global mobile payment market size is expected to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of close to 36% by the end of 2021. A report from GATE Mobile Wallet Trends (Global Acceptance Transactions Engine) also highlighted that the number of mobile payment users were close to 2.1 billion in 2019 [62]. Some of the related work in mobile payment applications are utilization of electronic vouchers using offline NFC payment service [63], payment authorization process using secured system built on a service oriented architecture (SOA) [64], secure end-to-end NFC based mobile payments protocol for security purpose [65], software card emulation in NFC based contactless smart card system for security [66], and design and initial evaluation of a touch based remote grocery shopping process [67, 68]. **Figure 10** depicts the NFC payment transfer using mobile phone, the credit card transaction with virtual card stored in a distant location [69].

**Figure 10.**

*NFC payment process using mobile phone; credit card transaction process with virtual card stored in a distant location [69].*

monitoring of patients, safer medications [89–92], storage of encrypted medical tags [93], adverse drugs and allergy detection system in hospitals [94] and electronic data recording services [95]. For example, recently Xiaomi launched Mi Band 5 wrist band, which supports NFC based payments and transactions through the band. Currently, in the time of COVID-19 pandemic, Silicon Craft Technology PLC (SICT) has launched an NFC enabled wearable band to track COVID-19 patients and those are under self-quarantine [96]. A major part of NFC in healthcare consists of health monitoring devices, such as NFC enabled blood pressure and activity monitors, wearable sensors [97, 98] and personal weight scale, etc., each of these devices send data to health centres connected via apps (TAPCheck blood pressure monitors, GENTAG, iMPAK Health for credit card-size RhythmTrak ECG device) [54]. There are more complex implementations of NFC technology in implantable health devices, such as heart monitors [99], cochlea implants [100–102], and optogenetics implants [103]. NFC enabled devices are also implanted in fitness and nutrition programs to promote overall health and wellness of users, such as, Apple watch, FitBit, Sony's Smart Band and Samsung Galaxy watch, and so on. There are affirmative studies that focus on improvement of health applications using NFC, such as self-diagnosis and medication, specific applications for the disabled, elderly and people with chronic diseases, etc. [49]. **Figure 12** shows few different applica-

*Near-Field Communications (NFC) for Wireless Power Transfer (WPT): An Overview*

*Various healthcare applications of NFC; (a) cochlea implant with a circle showing the NFC communication part of the implant [9]; (b) Optogenetic implant for brain [104]; (c) wearable bracelet prototype [98]; (d)*

tions of NFC in bio medical area [9, 98, 104, 105].

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.96345*

**Figure 12.**

**111**

*NFC enabled smart watch [105].*
