By 2016 there could be 550 million mobile handsets with near field communications (NFC). What will you do with yours?

1. Waving the wallet

We've taken a step toward a cashless society. Banks and credit card companies are deeply involved in developing NFC-based payment systems. But smart cards are relatively dumb. What’s really smart is integrating NFC in your mobile handset: your iPhone then becomes your wallet.

2. Ticketing 2.0

You won’t need to print off tickets when you have an NFC-enabled handset. Wave your phone, enter your pin and you’ll be able to use it to walk into the event, catch the plane and take the train.

3. Car rentals

You’ve just rented a car that’s close by. In the future you won’t need to visit the rental firm to grab the keys – they’ll just email a code to your phone. Wave it above the car lock and you’re off.

You might be at the museum and curious about an exhibit, or in a new city seeking information about the place. A wave of your NFC phone will let you easily obtain extra information in your own language.

4. Information everywhere

5. Poster power

All the rage in Singapore, billboards and posters will let NFC users enter competitions, get special offer coupons, product information, translations, online ordering tools and more.

6. Medical matters

Hate filling in forms when you visit the doctor? With NFC you won’t need to; a wave of your phone and all your medical records will be available to your chosen health care professional.