An electronics manufacturer, NXP Semiconductors released a statement letting the cat out of the bag over Sony Ericsson’s plans for near field communications (NFC).  It seems that the statement suggested that all future Xperia handsets will feature this new technology.

Confirming this to knowyourmobile.com, Jan Uddenfeldt, Chief Technology Officer at Sony Ericsson said: “Building on Sony Ericsson’s leadership in Android and mobile gaming, the integration of near field communication into our Android-based Xperia portfolio is another step in delivering the most entertaining smartphones.”

He added: “NFC offers our consumers the ability to broaden their communication experience beyond the phone, and we are poised to drive the development of new, exciting and creative entertainment experiences.”

NFC technology is a growing phenomenon with a number of companies now taking the plunge to develop new handsets that allow customers to make contactless payments from their smartphone.
Oddly, Apple supposedly was including this in their latest iPhone 5, but now, it isn’t clear whether Apple will include the technology in its next device or not
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NFC is expected to accrue around $50 billion by 2014 with about 20% of all smartphones manufactured by then possessing the new feature.  The technology itself was co-invented by NXP Semiconductors, who also are said to have been a co-founder of the NFC Forum in 2004 when the technology was being developed and standardised.

Sony Ericsson’s admission is seen as a sign that NFC technology is finally being taken seriously by the major handset makers.