Nokia’s Symbian-based phones have failed to generate a significant amount of positive interest in mature markets, with stronger competitors Android and Apple’s iOS constantly hogging the headlines.
With pressure mounting and market share slipping, the Finnish company’s latest attempt at showing it is still a force to be reckoned with in the mobile space seems to be focused on the oft-discussed technology that has not quite taken off outside of Japan and Korea – Near Field Communication (NFC).
Nokia has included the NFC function in 7 of its phone models, including the recently launched Symbian Belle based Nokia 603, Nokia 700 and Nokia 701, and the company is now labeling itself the single largest manufacturer of NFC-enabled phones to date. More NFC-enabled Nokia phones are also expected to hit the market in the coming year.
The company is also trying to set the NFC wheels in motion by launching an NFC Hub tailored for small business’s marketing campaign needs. To date, localized versions of Nokia’s NFC Hub, offering customized local products and support have been launched in the United Kingdom, Singapore and Malaysia.
In Singapore, Nokia has further upped the NFC ante via tie-ups with local technology and business partners, and launched NFC-enabled services facilitating the booking of public transport and the disbursement of information on local tourist sites via NFC tags located at various parts of the island. The NFC tags are compatible with all NFC-enabled devices.
Speaking at the launch of Nokia’s NFC Hub in Singapore, Nokia’s head of ecosystem and developer experience for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei Gary Chan said Nokia was keen on supporting the NFC ecosystem in Singapore due to the country’s reputation as an early mobile technology adopter and analysts’ expectations of accelerated NFC-enabled device sales in the coming years.