With reference to ‘Near Field Communication (NFC) Technology’, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. It is a contactless communication technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields.

2. NFC is designed for use by devices which can be at a distance of even a metre from each other.

3. NFC can use encryption when sending sensitive information.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

The correct option is 1 and 3 only.

To understand why this is the correct choice, let us analyze each of the statements step-by-step:

Statement 1: It is a contactless communication technology that uses electromagnetic radio fields.
This statement is correct. Near Field Communication (NFC) is a short-range, high-frequency wireless communication technology. It enables contactless data exchange between devices using electromagnetic radio fields. It operates at a frequency of 13.56 MHz and is based on electromagnetic induction principles (specifically, magnetic field coupling between loop antennas).

Statement 2: NFC is designed for use by devices which can be at a distance of even a metre from each other.
This statement is incorrect. NFC is explicitly designed for extremely short-range communication. The optimal operating distance is typically within 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches) or less, and it has a maximum practical range of only about 10 centimeters. It is not designed to work at a distance of a meter, as longer distances would make the transmission vulnerable to interception and defeat the security benefits of close-proximity communication.

Statement 3: NFC can use encryption when sending sensitive information.
This statement is correct. While NFC itself does not mandate encryption at the physical layer, the protocols and applications built on top of NFC (such as contactless payment systems, electronic ticketing, and identity verification) regularly employ secure channels, encryption algorithms, and secure elements to protect sensitive data during transmission.

Therefore, since Statements 1 and 3 are correct and Statement 2 is incorrect, the correct selection is 1 and 3 only.