Managing an NFC Ecosystem

Whereas several NFC trials are already established around the world, currently there are no mass rolls out yet. This is due to several technical as well as administrative issues that have to be dealt with before rolling out such a system. In this paper we present an approach for managing the B2B relations in an Near Field Communication (NFC) Ecosystem offering services based on card emulation like loyalty, payment and ticketing. Out of experiences made from trials we show which services are needed in order to manage such an ecosystem and to provide convenience to the user. Further more we discuss functional aspects of such an ecosystem, the parties involved as well as their benefit for participating. Although the technology already given allows a smooth interaction for the consumer, the infrastructure behind the scene is complex and requires the cooperation on different levels to ensure interoperability and a thriving contactless scheme to be deployed.