More than 31% of mobile developers are supporting NFC in their mobile apps today and an additional 45% plan to support the technology in the next 12 months, according to a Mobile Development Survey released by Evans Data Corporation.

EVANS DATA CORP: Analysts found mobile devs are keen to support NFC

The survey, conducted in May this year with mobile developers from around the world, revealed that more devs have plans to support NFC in the near future than several other emerging device features, including voice recognition, range finding and device pairing.

"We surveyed over 500 mobile developers about their current activities and plans for different mobile-related technologies, and about various mobile-related issues," Michael Rasalan, director of research at Evans Data, told NFC World.

"With regards to NFC, we asked developers if they support or plan to support near field computing. 32% indicated that they currently support NFC. This is a significant percentage of mobile developers and shows how excited they are with near field computing. We feel developers are very optimistic about the technology and the potential it offers, especially in applications for security and access.

"Additionally, 45% say they're planning to use it within the next year. Though ultimately plans may not necessarily turn into actual support, the high percentage of people who say they have plans for NFC does indicate a lot of interest and a great capacity to engage with the technology."

The survey found that the primary driver for NFC support is security and access control — keycards and dongles, identity, entry and access, boarding passes and transponders. Other popular drivers for NFC support are social networking, Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and commerce.

"NFC is the next evolutionary step in mobile computing," said Janel Garvin, CEO of Evans Data. "It's clear that it's going to change the way we perform everyday actions such as opening a locked door, getting on an airplane, or making a purchase at a store.

"But developers also have plans for the technology that include games, measurements, and connections to appliances, cars or other devices. The extent to which NFC will impact us is only constrained by the imagination of the developers."