The boffins at Juniper Research have predicted that by 2014, 1 in 6 mobile phone subscribers will be using an NFC device. Whether or not they’ll be using NFC for something other than transmitting naughty pictures and business cards is another story all together. Juniper Research also thinks that in 2014, NFC enabled monetary transactions will exceed $110 billion. If we assume that there are 4 billion mobile subscribers now, and that number will hit 5 billion by 2014, then that would be roughly 833 million people (1 in 6) spending an average of $132 during a 12 month period. That’s roughly the population of the USA and the EU combined, buying a $5 meal at McDonald’s every other week.
Do you think they’re being a tad too optimistic? I am, but then again I tend to stay away from predicting what will happen more than 3 years into the future. At the rate the world is moving, 2014 may as well be a millennium away.
[Via: Business Wire]