AT&T doesn't care that you want NFC turned on in Samsung Galaxy S II

AT&T doesn't care that you want NFC turned on in Samsung Galaxy S II

AT&T has elected to not have the NFC in the Samsung Galaxy S II switched on. In doing so, we look at what this means for consumers, what it means for NFC and what it in turn means for AT&T. The redeeming quality of the AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II was that it has an NFC chip built in, and the mobile network operator has had the chip turned off. This raises the question - would this affect you purchasing the NFC phone when you can't use the NFC chip you have paid for?

AT&T decided they didn't want to go for the beautiful 4.5-inch screen that T-Mobile and Sprint opted for. They also decided their customers wouldn't have the opportunity to benefit from that 1.5 dual-core processor that other competitors can boast. However, the one thing that the phone had over the Sprint phone was that it has an NFC chip built in which would have enabled social NFC actions, pairing with peripherals and sharing contacts. It could have also enabled payments too, but it appears because Isis is not quite ready to control your finances and market that you will not be getting any NFC goodness from the Samsung Galaxy S II at this time.

NFC adoption is dependent on NFC devices and services getting into consumers' hands so there is a demand for it and so then other companies will develop more and more uses for the technology. Everyone in the NFC industry is on board to make NFC happen, except mobile network operators who are part of Isis, and Isis seems to be intent on preventing the consumers who pay for their existence from using utilities they have paid for in their phones.

AT&T refuses to comment on why NFC is turned off in Samsung Galaxy S II

It isn't that there is no demand for NFC in the Samsung Galaxy S II because there is. Engadget asked AT&T outright why they had disabled NFC in the Samsung Galaxy S II and they declined to comment. So, if you were planning to buy a Samsung Galaxy S II, which is admittedly a great phone for its NFC prowess, hold fire. AT&T aren't even commenting on the fact it is turned off let alone when it will be switched on. The Samsung announcement regarding the Nexus Prime happens in a couple of weeks so it may be worth holding off. Couple that with the fact the HTC Amaze is said to have NFC, and then consider that AT&T will probably turn its NFC off also.

Unfortunately, it appears that corporate greed appears to be working against AT&T's loyal customers and those who might have moved to the carrier. The Samsung Galaxy S II having its NFC turned off is just a symptom of what is wrong with American mobile network operators. What remains to be seen is what will it take for AT&T to turn on NFC in the Samsung Galaxy S II - how many customers will they need to lose?