This TowerGroup Note considers the rise of NFC and its significance from two perspectives. First, it provides an overview of the NFC protocol and considers its potential applications in personal communications devices and other physical media such as movie posters, CD covers, and electronic devices. Second, it compares the positions of NFC and today's bankcard-supported RFbased payments protocols (ISO 14443 Types A and B and Sony's FeliCa), considering the potential for the two to drive demand for contactless payment cards and more sophisticated types of payments initiated using mobile devices.