Proxama Ltd, a developer of near field communications (NFC) technology, has announced it will partner with Nokia Corp. in developing NFC applications for a new generation of smartphones. A service package developed by Proxama will enable users of Nokia NFC phones to access information using NFC data tags placed on things such as posters, product packaging and point-of-sale displays.

"The NFC mobile phone is now a reality," said Neil Garner, founder and CEO of Proxama.

"Mobile is truly coming of age this year, so I am delighted that we have secured a deal that will reap benefits for so many," Garner said in the announcement. "We expect take up of NFC activity to grow rapidly, with millions of NFC-enabled handsets forecast to be distributed this year."

"Consumers have increasingly placed more importance on the role their mobile plays in their lives, and this is a natural step-change," Garner said.

"We are very excited to be at the forefront of the next evolution of the mobile phone," said Sixten Sandstrom, director of global ecosystems at Nokia. "NFC is going to give mobile phones a completely new lease on life that will bring consumers greater empowerment and enhanced brand and retail experiences"

"At Nokia, we recognize the big impact that NFC is going to have on how people use mobile phones and we plan to fully embrace it," he said.