Rumours of the next generation iPhone having Near Field Communication (NFC) capabilities have been circulating for some months. NFC technology can send and receive information wirelessly over a distance of about 4 inches.
Now Phone Scoop is reporting that Deutsche Telekom gave a presentation today at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona outlining how the carrier would be adopting NFC for mobile payments. During the presentation the carrier noted how it is expecting an NFC-enabled device from Apple this year.
Deutsche Telekom announced that it expects NFC phones in 2011 from Apple, Samsung in Q2, and RIM & LG in Q3. The company expects mobile payments replacing cash to be the most popular use for NFC technology, followed by mobile ticketing for services such as public transportation.