 tags and labels are dropping quickly. Pharmaceutical compa- nies are investigating using RFID tags to reduce counterfeiting and black-market sales. Other market segments expected to incorporate the use of RFID include live- stock, domestic pets, humans, cartons/supply-chain uses, large freight containers, package tracking, consumer products, and security/banking/purchasing/access control. But will RFID replace UPC barcode technology? Most likely not, and cer- tainly not in the near term. RFID tags still cost more than UPC labels, and different data capture and tracking technologies offer different capabilities. Many businesses will likely combine RFID with existing technologies such as barcode readers or digital cameras to achieve expanded data capture and tracking capabilities that meet their specific business needs. In the midst of the various WPAN technologies discussed SO far in this chapter, a new technology is quietly taking shape that could alter the use of consumer elec- tronics and change the way users shop, travel, and send data. Near Field Commu- nication (NFC) evolved from a combination of RFID, interconnection (i.e., information exchange via network technology), and contactless identification tech- nologies. (With contactless identification, a smart card has an antenna embedded inside it, enabling communication with a card reader without physical contact. The chip on the smart card stores data and programs that are protected by advanced security features. Contactless smart cards are passed near an antenna, or reader, to carry out a transaction.) With NFC-enabled mobile phones, transactions can be conducted by simply touching a point-of-sales device or ticket gate. Contactless cards are the ideal solution for transactions that must be processed very quickly, as in physical access control, mass transit, or vending services. NFC provides high- bandwidth content acquisition and transfer, contactless payment capability, and smart object interaction. One of the key attributes of NFC is that it introduces 