Some call it a more secure, easier to work with communication protocol

Near field communication has been an “emerging” technology for half a decade. During that time, it has jumped the initial hurdle being deployed in handsets worldwide.

But there are still obstacles to conquer if NFC is to truly go mainstream. Some are tired of waiting.

“Physical access control has been a stale industry and this is one of the more exciting things to come around,” says John Fenske, vice president of product marketing for physical access control at HID Global.

He’s not talking about NFC, but an alternative –some say competitive– technology called Bluetooth Low-Energy or Bluetooth Smart.

Some in the physical access control and identity markets are looking at Bluetooth Low Energy as a solution because it’s already in just about every recent model handset and computer.

The specification has been included on iPhones and Android handsets since 2012.

Plus it doesn’t have the NFC ecosystem’s complexity that requires enterprises to work with mobile network operators to place a credential on the device.

“The barriers to using NFC have been high,” Fenske says. “If you’re looking at using a phone with NFC and you want to put information on the secure element, you have to go through the mobile operator and they charge for that access.”

Bluetooth Low Energy applications, however, can be embedded elsewhere in the handset. HID or its dealers will have online portals where enterprises can provision access, he explains.