As said by an analyst, NFC is fortunate enough to have a 'breakthrough' year as the 35 million NFC-enabled phones which they dispatched in 2011 started hitting the market. The number of NFC-enabled handsets shipped is expected to go up to 80 millions by Dec 2012 is the prediction of IMS Research.

The research says that the growth of NFC-enabled handsets is the result of Quick Tap Contactless payment Scheme introduced by Orange and Barclayscards, in the UK in May 2011.

Customers were able to use their phone for contactless payment in Pret A Manager, Boots and Mcdonalds. The Government-funded scheme in France and the introduction of Google Wallet also contributed to the growth of NFC-enabled handsets. The senior analyst at IMS Research, Mr. Don Tait mentioned that for the last seven or eight years the company was experiencing ups and downs but the year 2011 gave it a breakthrough. Almost all leading mobile handset manufacturers like RIM, Nokia, Samsung and HTC have initiated NFC-enabled handsets in the last 12 months. Apple is the only manufacturer who still has to release an NFC-enabled mobile phone. Mr. Tait added that the profile of NFC would go even further in 2012 by its accessibility at the Olympic Games held in London. Samsung, Everywhere and Telefonica are all taking part in this project.