LONDON, December 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- GSMA Event Places New Focus on Burgeoning Market for NFC Technologies and Services

The GSMA today announced that it will hold the new GSMA NFC & Mobile Money Summit October 22-25, 2012 at the Milano Congressi in Milan. With the growing industry momentum behind Near Field Communications (NFC) and the increased adoption of this technology by ecosystem players around the world, the GSMA has expanded the scope of its established Mobile Money Summit event to more prominently showcase NFC and its many applications. In 2012 and beyond, the event will be known as the GSMA NFC & Mobile Money Summit.

"NFC is an important innovation for consumers around the world, and while it is perhaps best known for enabling secure mobile payments, it will go far beyond to facilitate a wide range of innovative and exciting new services and applications, such as mobile ticketing, entertainment services, secure access to hotels, offices and cars, loyalty schemes and couponing, among others," said Michael O'Hara, Chief Marketing Officer, GSMA.  "The NFC & Mobile Money Summit will bring together key players from every sector of the ecosystem, providing an environment to forge relationships, expand ideas and foster the growth of NFC and mobile money."

The market potential for SIM-based NFC is significant, according to forecasts from industry research firm Strategy Analytics.  Nearly 1.5 billion SIM-based handsets will have been sold worldwide between 2010 and 2016, supporting transactions of more than $50 billion globally over the same period. Further, ABI Research indicates that 85 per cent of all new point of sale terminals shipped in 2016 will be NFC-enabled. Last month, more than 45 of the world's leading operators committed to support and implement SIM-based NFC solutions and services, and the GSMA announced that it has published a new set of industry specifications, which will serve as an important catalyst in accelerating the adoption of NFC services.

The NFC & Mobile Money Summit will feature two days of exhibition showcase and conference sessions, augmented by two days of invitation-only industry meetings designed to create dialogue around the opportunities and progress for the NFC and mobile money ecosystem. The conference and exhibition will be held on Tuesday, October 23rd and Wednesday, October 24th, with additional meetings and workshops being held on Monday, October 22nd and Thursday, October 25th. 

For more information on the NFC & Mobile Money Summit 2012, including details on how to attend, exhibit or sponsor, please contact mmssales@gsm.org.  

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, equipment providers, Internet companies, and media and entertainment organisations. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Congress. 

For more information, please visit Mobile World Live, the online portal for the mobile communications industry, at http://www.mobileworldlive.com or the GSMA corporate website at http://www.gsmworld.com.

SOURCE GSMA