3G tech to open new services

Ejaz Jamil

Services requiring the identification of users can easily be provided through smartphones powered by 3G technology, a software architect said at a seminar yesterday.
The services will use the near field communication (NFC) chips inserted into phones for individual identification.
NFC identification can be used to open locks at offices or homes, make mobile payments, access controls or bus ticketing, said Ejaz Jamil, president and chief software architect of Soalib, which stands for Service-Oriented Architecture Library.
He spoke at a seminar on NFC in cloud computing at The Daily Star Centre yesterday. NFC is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communications with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few inches.
Global leaders of Android mobile phone makers use NFC chips on handsets which can be used as connecting devices to authenticate users' identity. NFC carries a unique number.
Jamil said countries in Europe, USA, Brazil and Australia enclose NFC chips with machine readable passports so that no-one can copy them. NFC can also prevent copying or faking of credit cards and national ID cards.
Apple phones did not have NFC chips earlier, but the latest models do.
Soalib, incorporated in Massachusetts in 2007, is a start-up company aiming to deliver high-quality software based on service-oriented architecture.
As digital services are provided online, the information is kept in clouds or servers. Mobile handsets can get the data just in a single touch through its paired chip, Jamil said.
Cloud computing connects various digital devices through the internet in real time. The server may be put in any unknown or distant place called a cloud.
Jamil's company has an office in Dhaka to consult any firm that wants to incorporate NFC within its system or services.
He demonstrated some of the services at the event where guests witnessed door-opening with NFC chips.