The Card Emulation (CE) device class responds to an industry need for wearable devices that provide basic functionality and longer battery life while maintaining interoperability with the NFC eco-system.
NFC is a set of communication protocols that allows communication between devices over a distance of 4cm or less. It is typically used in contactless payment solutions.
The CE Device works by emulating a contactless card and providing connectivity into an existing framework such as a payment or access application.
The CE Device class is one of seven device classes created by the NFC Forum, whose members include consumer electronics companies, semiconductor makers and mobile communications companies.
Products created in this device class can be certified by the NFC Forum to ensure interoperability with other NFC-enabled products within the NFC eco-system.
“The wearables industry has gone from strength to strength in recent years with the installed base now topping 400 million people worldwide,” said Kane McKenna, wearables analyst, CCS Insight. “Users expect a powerful and diverse feature set combined with sleek design and long battery life, meaning improvements to NFC efficiency will be popular.
“Furthermore, our research has found that the ability to make wrist-based payments is a key consideration for over a quarter of smartwatch buyers, showing how important digital wallet capabilities are.”
Other potential uses for the NFC technology in wearables include fitness trackers and sports watches, smart glasses and smart clothing, public transport contactless tickets, smart rings, key fobs, gate access or anywhere card emulation functionality is required.
“The CE Device creates a new category for wearables offering miniature housings and extended battery life in a more cost-effective form factor,” said Mike McCamon, executive director, NFC Forum. “The increase in the use of wearables is being driven by the adoption of new use cases for NFC-enabled wearable devices beyond today’s payment applications.”