As mobile phone manufacturers look to the emerging markets of nations like China and India to boost sales, they are discovering a tech-savvy consumer base that demands both advanced features in their phones and an affordable price. For makers targeting Asian consumers, low-priced NFC-enabled phones are a must, as experts predict Asia will be the take-off point for the technology.
Instead of the features-laden phones sold in the developed world at high price points, manufacturers are looking at mix-and-match packages for phones, cherry-picking popular features to create distinctive phones without upping prices. Pressure is also on semiconductor manufacturers to pack more components within chips, which reduces demands on a phone’s internal real estate and lowers supply chain complexity, and ultimately lowers costs for device manufacturers.
The usefulness of NFC-enabled devices in Asia is on the rise, as well. Recent examples of expansion in the market include Singapore’s NFC trials last year with the EZ-Link-StarHub and NETS-SingTel tie-ups, and a recent announcement by Indian company, ALW to work with six banks in the country to trial NFC payments in India. As opportunities to make use of NFC capability rise, the pressure on phone manufacturers to put the technology in the hands of the average Asian consumer will increase. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/contactlessnews-4.gif)
