SEMINAR REPORT

Entitled

“NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION AND ITS

APPLICATIONS”
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement
for the Degree of

: Presented & Submitted By :

Ms. BHOOMIKA GUPTA
(Roll No.U10EC014)
B. TECH. IV (Electronics & Communication) 7th Semester

: Guided By :
Ms. JIGISHA N. PATEL
Assistant Professor, ECED.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology
Surat-395 007, Gujarat, INDIA.

(NOVEMBER - 2013)

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 i

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It is very common to see that a person’s quest for knowledge never ends. Theory and
practical are essential and complimentary to each other. I am indebted and thankful to
various who have helped me in the preparation of seminar.

I am highly obliged to Ms. Jigisha N. Patel for her guidance and support throughout the
semester and for her help in the seminar report and presentation. She guided me with
every problem I came across while preparing the seminar. She was instrumental in
helping me expand my horizon and learn more.

I would like to thank other faculty members of Electronics and Communication

Engineering Department and all the staff who directly or indirectly offered their help and
co-operated to make my effort successful.
Thank You.

BHOOMIKA GUPTA
U10EC014

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 ii

ABSTRACT

Near Field Communication (NFC) is a new technology that has emerged in the last
decade. NFC is a short range, high frequency, low bandwidth and wireless
communication technology between two NFC enabled devices. Communication between
NFC devices occurs at 13.56 MHz high frequency which was originally used by Radio
Frequency Identification (RFID).

NFC works on both active and passive devices using various modes of operations. Also,
NFC can happen between only two devices at a time. Potential NFC applications and
services making use of NFC technology include e-payment, e-ticketing, loyalty services,
identification, access control, content distribution, smart advertising, data/money transfer
and social services. Due to its applicability to a wide range of areas and the promising
value added opportunities, it has attracted many academicians, researchers, organizations
and commercial companies.

Technology usage is now in the pilot phase in many countries. Usability issues and
technology adoption are being explored by many academicians and industrial
organizations. As NFC enabled mobile phones spread and commercial services are
launched, people will be able to pay for goods and services, access hotel rooms or
apartments, update their information in social networks, upload their health data to
hospital monitoring systems from their homes, and benefit from many more services by
using their NFC enabled phones.

The success of NFC technology is bound to advances in other fields as well. Over-the-Air
technology among ecosystem factors is definitely a prerequisite to operate NFC systems
satisfactorily. Secure Element (SE) is also a requirement to store valuable digital
information on the same smart card securely. Dependence on other technologies is one of
the challenges that NFC currently faces. All of these are discussed in detail in the
following report.

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 iii

 Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology
Surat-395 00, Gujarat, INDIA.

DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS AND COMMUNICATION

This is to certify that the B.Tech. IV (7th Semester) SEMINAR REPORT entitled “Near
Field Communication and its Applications” is presented & submitted by Candidate Ms.
Bhoomika Gupta, bearing Roll No.U10EC014, in the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of B. Tech. degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering.

She has successfully and satisfactorily completed her Seminar Exam in all respect. We,
certify that the work is comprehensive, complete and fit for evaluation.

Ms. Jigisha N. Patel Prof. P. K. Shah

Seminar Guide Head of the Department, ECED
Assistant Professor Associate Professor

SEMINAR EXAMINERS:

Name Signature with date

1.Prof.____________________ __________________

2.Prof.____________________ __________________

3.Prof.____________________ __________________

DEPARTMENT SEAL

November-2013

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INDEX

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………..………………………………………………….. ii
ABSTRACT………………………...………………………………………………... iii
CERTIFICATE………………………..…………………………………………..…. iv
LIST OF FIGURES………………………………..…………………………………. vi
LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………..…………………….. vii
1. NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION…………………………….…………. 1
1.1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………... 1
1.2. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING TECHNOLOGIES……………….... 2
1.3. OPERATION OF NFC…………………………………………………... 3
1.4. BASICS OF DATA TRANSMISSION WITH NFC…………………….. 4
1.5. INTERFACE AND PROTOCOL………………………………………... 6
1.6. ORGANISATION OF REPORT………………………………………… 8
2. NFC OPERATING MODES………………………………………………... 9
2.1. MOBILE INTERACTION TECHNIQUES……………………………… 9
2.2. CLASSIFICATION OF NFC DEVICES………………………………… 9
2.3. READER/WRITER MODE……………………………………………… 11
2.4. PEER-TO-PEER MODE…………………………………………………. 15
2.5. CARD EMULATION MODE…………………………………………… 18
2.6. OVERVIEW ON BENEFITS OF OPERATING MODES……………… 19
3. NFC SECURITY…………………………………………………………….. 21
3.1. THREATS AND SOLUTIONS………………………………………….. 21
3.2. STANDARDISED NFC SECURITY PROTOCOLS……………………. 22
4. NFC APPLICATIONS………………………………………………………. 23
4.1. NFC SHOPPING: READER/WRITER MODE…………………………. 24
4.2. NFC GOSSIPING: PEER-TO-PEER MODE……………………………. 26
4.3. NFC TICKETING: CARD EMULATION MODE……………………… 27
4.4. FUTURE SCOPE OF NFC………………………………………………. 30
5. CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………. 31
REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………….. 32
ACRONYMS………………………………………………………………………… 34

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LIST OF FIGURES

FIG. 1.1 EVOLUTION OF NFC TECHNOLOGY………………………………. 1

FIG. 1.2 INITIATOR (POLLING DEVICE) AND TARGET (LISTENING
DEVICE) DEVICES…………………………………………………….. 3
FIG. 1.3 MODULATION SPECTRA SHOWING LOAD MODULATION…….. 5
FIG. 1.4 VISUALIZATION OF LOAD MODULATION……………………….. 5
FIG. 1.5 FRAME FORMAT OF NFCIP-1……………………………………….. 7
FIG. 2.1 MOBILE INTERACTION TECHNIQUES…………………………….. 9
FIG. 2.2 READER/WRITER MODE…………………………………………….. 11
FIG. 2.3 PROTOCOL STACK OF READER/WRITER OPERATING MODE… 12
FIG. 2.4 NDEF STRUCTURE……………………………………………………. 14
FIG. 2.5 USAGE MODEL OF NFC SHOPPING: READER/WRITER MODE… 14
FIG. 2.6 PEER-TO-PEER MODE………………………………………………... 15
FIG. 2.7 PROTOCOL STACK OF PEER-TO-PEER OPERATING MODE……. 16
FIG. 2.8 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LLCP AND OSI REFERENCE MODEL 17
FIG. 2.9 GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE……………. 17
FIG. 2.10 CARD EMULATION MODE…………………………………………... 18
FIG. 2.11 PROTOCOL STACK OF CARD EMULATION MODE………………. 18
FIG. 2.12 GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF CARD EMULATION MODE………. 19
FIG. 4.1 RANGE OF APPLICATIONS OF NFC………………………………... 23
FIG. 4.2 APPLICATIONS OF NFC……………………………………………… 23
FIG. 4.3 NFC SHOPPING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………….. 24
FIG. 4.4 NFC SHOPPING: USAGE MODEL……………………………………. 25
FIG. 4.5 NFC GOSSIPING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM……………………………. 26
FIG. 4.6 NFC GOSSIPING: USAGE MODEL…………………………………... 27
FIG. 4.7 NFC TICKETING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………… 28
FIG. 4.8 NFC TICKETING: ACTIVITY DIAGRAM…………………………… 28
FIG. 4.9 NFC TICKETING: USAGE MODEL…………………………………... 29

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LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1.1 COMPARISON OF NFC WITH VARIOUS EXISTING

TECHNOLOGIES……………………………………………………... 2
TABLE 1.2 MODULATION AND CODING SCHEMES BASED ON DEVICE
TYPE AND DATA RATE…………………………………………….. 4
TABLE 2.1 SUMMARY OF NFC DEVICES……………………………………... 10
TABLE 2.2 BENEFITS OF VARIOUS OPERATINGMODES OF NFC…………. 20
TABLE 2.3 INTERACTION WITH THE SERVICE PROVIDER………………... 20
TABLE 3.1 SUMMARY OF SECURITY SERVICES PROVIDED BY
VARIOUS PROTOCOLS……………………………………………... 22

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CHAPTER-1 NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

1.1 Introduction

Near Field Communication is a new short-range wireless connectivity technology that

evolved from a combination of existing contactless identification and interconnection
technologies. It was jointly developed by Sony and NXP Semiconductors (formerly
Philips) [1]. Fig. 1.1 shows the evolution of NFC technology.

NFC operates in a frequency range centered at 13.56 MHz and offers a data transmission
rate of up to 424 kbit/s within a distance of approximately 10cms. NFC is backward
compatible with the Smart Card infrastructure based on ISO/IEC (International
Organization for Standardization/ International Electrotechnical Commission) 14443 A
and ISO/IEC 14443 B as well as with the Sony FeliCa card. For the exchange of
information between two NFC devices, a new protocol was developed which is defined in
the standards ECMA (European Computer Manufacturers Association) 340 and ISO/IEC
18092 [2]. The NFC Forum was founded in the year 2004 by NXP, Sony and Nokia to
work towards the development and deployment of NFC. The NFC forum develops
specifications which ensure interoperability of NFC units and services.

Fig. 1.1 Evolution of NFC technology [1]

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Currently, devices such as Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy Note, Sony Xperia
ZR, Nokia 6131 NFC etc. provide NFC facility to its users. Some applications of NFC are
Google Wallet (US), A Little World (India) for mobile payments, China Unicom for
mobile transport ticketing (China) etc. [3]

1.2 Comparison with Existing Technologies

Table 1.1 shows the comparison of various existing wireless technologies with NFC and
its benefits over the others.

Table 1.1 Comparison of NFC with various existing technologies. [1]

Sr. Concept NFC Bluetooth WiFi RFID Zigbee (IEEE

No (IEEE (IEEE 802.1.5.4)
802.15.1) 802.11)

1 Range <0.1m 10m 100-150m 3m 30-100m

(generally
10cm)

2 Throughput 106, 212, 721kbps 6Mbps Varies 100Vkbps

424kbps

3 Operating 13.56Mhz ISM band 2.4Ghz Varies 862Mhz,

Frequency 2.4Ghz to 915Mhz,
2.485Ghz 2.4Ghz

4 Latency <0.1 sec 6 sec 1.5ms < 1 sec 20 ms

5 Cost Low Moderate High Low Moderate

6 Power Moderate Low High Low Moderate

Consumption to low

7 Security Fairly PIN 64bit, More Secure 128-bit AES

secure 128bit secure
(Less secure than
than WiFi) bluetooth

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Hence, NFC has good speed of operation for close proximity. It is suitable for crowded
areas. It uses ISM band of frequency which is available worldwide. NFC is affordable,
has good throughput and low latency. Since transactions are done at a small range at
which signals are not much susceptible to interception, NFC is highly secure. Thus, NFC
can be a very beneficial wireless mode of communication for short ranges and can be
used for fast transactions eg. Money transfer etc.

1.3 Operation of NFC

NFC occurs between two NFC devices in a close proximity range (within a few
centimeters). These two NFC devices can operate in several modes as described in
chapter 2.

There are two different roles that a device can play in NFC which can be illustrated as a
“request and reply” concept as shown in Fig. 1.2. The initiator (or polling device) sends a
request message to a target and the target (or listening device) replies by sending a
message back to the initiator. In this case the role of the initiator is to start the
communication. The role of the target is to respond to the requests coming from the
initiator [2].

Fig. 1.2 Initiator (Polling device) and Target (Listening device) devices [2]

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1.4 Basics of Data Transmission with NFC

NFC is based on inductive coupling, where loosely coupled inductive circuits share
power and data over a distance of a few centimeters [2]. Similar to the transformer
principle, the magnetic near-field of two conductor coils is used to couple the polling
device (initiator) and listening device (target) as shown in Fig. 1.2. The operating
frequency is 13.56 MHz, and a bit-rate of 106 kbit/s (also 212 kbit/s and 424 kbit/s) is
used. Modulation schemes are amplitude on/off keying (OOK) with different
modulation depth (100 % or 10 %) and BPSK. This is summarized in Table 1.2

Table 1.2 Modulation and coding schemes based on device type and data rate.

Speed Active Device Passive Device

106 kbps Modified Miller, 100% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

212 kbps Manchester, 10% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

424 kbps Manchester, 10% ASK Manchester, 10% ASK

Power Transmission and Data Transmission from a Polling Device

For transmission to a passive system such as an NFC phone in passive card emulation
mode (described in chapter 2), the passive system uses the 13.56 MHz carrier signal of
the polling device as energy source. Modulation scheme of the polling device is ASK. For
NFC peer-to-peer mode, both directions are modulated and coded like a polling device.
However less power is necessary because both NFC devices use their own power supply
and the carrier signal is switched off after end of transmission.

Data Transmission from a Listening Device

Due to the coupling of the coils of initiator and target, a passive target also affects the
active initiator. A variation in the impedance of the target causes amplitude or phase
changes to the antenna voltage of the initiator, detected by it. This technique is called
load modulation. Load modulation is carried out in target mode using an auxiliary
carrier at 848 kHz which is modulated by the baseband and varies the impedance of the
target device. Fig.1.3 shows the spectrum with load modulation. The modulation scheme

U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 4

is ASK (ISO/IEC 14443 A) or BPSK (ISO/IEC 14443 B) [2].

Modulation Schemes used by NFC are ASK (100% and 10% modulation depths) and
BPSK. Also, NFC uses Modified Miller and Manchester Coding schemes depending
upon the type of communication used, i.e., Type A (normal) or Type B (banking/short
range).

Fig. 1.3 Modulation Spectra showing Load modulation [2]

Time Domain Frequency Domain

Fig 1.4 Visualization of load modulation [2]

Fig. 1.4 visualizes load modulation for ASK modulation with Manchester Coding.

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1.5 Interface and Protocol

Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP) is standardized in two forms
as NFCIP-1, which defines the NFC communication modes on the RF (Radio Frequency)
layer and other technical features of the RF layer, and NFCIP-2 which supports mode
switching by detecting and selecting one of the communication modes.

NFCIP-1
NFCIP-1 is standardized in ISO/IEC 18092, ECMA 340, and ETSI TS (European
Telecommunications Standards Institute Technical Specification) 102 190 [4]. This
standard defines two communication modes as active and passive. This Standard
specifies, in particular, modulation schemes, coding, transfer speeds (106/212/424 kbps),
and frame format of the RF interface, as well as initialization schemes and conditions
required for data collision control during initialization. Furthermore, it defines a transport
protocol including protocol activation and data exchange methods.

The protocol flow in NFCIP-1 specifies that any NFCIP-1 device should be in Target
mode initially and not generate an RF field, and should wait for a command from an
Initiator. The NFCIP-1 device may switch to Initiator mode and select either Active or
Passive communication mode and transfer speed. Initiators first tests for external RF field
presence and if an external RF field is detected then it should not activate its own RF
field. If an external RF field is not detected, the Initiator shall activate its own RF field for
the activation of Target. Initiator and Target can then exchange commands and responses
in the same communication mode and the transfer speed.

The frame format of NFCIP-1 consists of Preamble, SYNC, Length, Payload, and CRC
as shown in Fig. 1.5. The Preamble shall be 48 bits minimum all logical ‘0’s [4]. The
SYNC is of 2 bytes. The 1st byte is ‘B2’ and the 2nd byte is ‘4D’.The Length is an 8-bit
field and it is set to the number of bytes to be transmitted in Payload plus 1. The range of
the Length is 2 to 255. The Payload consists of data where n is indicated by the number of
data bytes. 16-bit CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) is performed.

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 Fig. 1.5 Frame Format of NFCIP-1 [4]

NFCIP-2
NFCIP-2 is a standard specified in ISO/IEC 21481, ECMA 352 and ETSI TS 102 312.
The standard specifies the communication mode selection mechanism and is designed not
to disturb any on-going communication at 13.56 MHz for devices implementing ISO/IEC
18092 (i.e., NFCIP-1), ISO/IEC 14443 or ISO/IEC 15693 (e.g., long range-vicinity
communication, RFID tags) [5]. Although all of the ISO/IEC 18092, ISO/IEC 14443 and
ISO/IEC 15693 standards specify 13.56 MHz as their working frequency, they may
specify distinct communication modes.

Devices following NFCIP-2 need to implement the functions of the proximity coupling
device (PCD) (ISO/IEC 14443), vicinity coupling device (VCD) (ISO/IEC 15693) and
the initiator and the target functions defined in ECMA-340 [5].

Mode switching specifies the procedure for NFCIP-2 devices to enter the NFC MODE,
PCD MODE, PICC (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card) MODE or VCD MODE selected
prior to the following sequence. NFCIP-2 devices shall execute the following sequence:
1. The NFCIP-2 device shall have its RF field switched off.
2. If the PICC (Proximity Integrated Circuit Card or Object) MODE has been selected,
the NFCIP-2 device enters the PICC MODE.
3. If the NFCIP-2 device detects an external RF field it enters the NFC MODE as a
Target.
4. If the NFCIP-2 device does not detect an external RF field and the NFC MODE has
been selected, it shall enter the NFC MODE as an Initiator.
5. If the NFCIP-2 device does not detect an external RF field and the PCD MODE or the
VCD MODE has been selected, it shall perform external RF field detection and Initial
RF generation. [5]

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The use of these protocols are further described in chapter 2 while discussing the various
modes of operation of NFC.

1.6 Organisation of Report

The report is organised as follows:

In chapter 1, we take a look at the current NFC standards, compare it with the existing
technologies and find the need to use NFC. We then concentrate on the operation of NFC
and how the basic data transmission takes place through it.

In chapter 2, firstly we mention the different types of mobile interaction techniques and
then classify the devices used in NFC. Also, we perform a deep study of the various
modes of operation of these devices. Lastly, we compare these modes and provide with an
overview.

In chapter 3, we discuss the security aspects of NFC and its framework.

In chapter 4, we take a look at the applications of the previous mentioned modes of

operation. We provide a mild analysis of these and then give examples of the currently
available NFC applications in market.

Subsequently, we take a quick look at the future scope of NFC, and then we conclude this
report.

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CHAPTER-2 NFC OPERATING MODES

In the previous chapter we discussed how basic data transmission takes place in NFC. In
this chapter we discuss the classification of devices used in NFC. Building upon the
basics learned in chapter 1, we move towards the study of various operating modes of
NFC devices and discuss their usage models.

2.1 Mobile Interaction Techniques

When mobile devices are used to interact with smart objects in the environment,
additional components are required where when a user interacts with a smart object using
an interaction technique. Fig. 2.1 shows the available interaction techniques that the
mobile devices use, which are called mobile interaction techniques, are touching,
pointing, and scanning [6]. The NFC technology interaction technique is touch based.

Fig 2.1 Mobile Interaction Techniques [6]

2.2 Classification of NFC Devices

The touching action is taken as the triggering condition for NFC communication. The
NFC application is designed so that when the mobile touches some NFC device with the

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expected form of data, it boots up immediately.

We can classify the NFC devices in the communication based on two parameters. The
first parameter is the energy supply which results in active and passive devices. The
second one is initiating the communication and leads to initiator and target devices.

ACTIVE vs PASSIVE DEVICES

An active device is one that is powered by some power source, e.g. battery, so that it
generates its own electromagnetic field. On the other hand, a passive device is one that
does not have any integrated power source. In NFC, the energy to the passive device is
supplied by the active device. To summarize, an active device powers the passive device
by creating the electromagnetic field.

INITIATOR vs TARGET DEVICES

NFC always occurs between two parties, so that one party is called the initiator, and the
other party is called the target. The initiator is the one that initiates the communication;
the target responds to the request that is made by the initiator.

An initiator always needs to be an active device, because it requires a power source to

initiate the communication. The target, on the other hand, may be either an active or a
passive device. If the target is an active device, then it uses its own power source to
respond; if it is a passive device, it uses the energy created by the electromagnetic field
which is generated by the initiator that is an active device. Table 2.1 shows the summary
of the NFC devices.

Table 2.1 Summary of NFC devices.

Devices Initiator Target

Active Yes Yes

Passive No Yes

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Now, we move towards the discussion of various operating modes of NFC. The three
existing operating modes are the reader/writer, peer-to-peer and card emulation modes.
The reader/writer mode enables NFC enabled mobile devices to exchange data with NFC
Forum mandated NFC tags. The peer-to-peer mode enables two NFC enabled mobile
devices to exchange data with each other. In the card emulation mode, the user interacts
with an NFC reader in order to use her mobile phone as a smart card such as a credit card.
Each operating mode has different use case scenarios and each provides various
underlying benefits to users.

2.3 Reader/Writer Mode

In reader/writer operating mode, an active NFC enabled mobile phone initiates the
wireless communication, and can read and alter data stored in NFC tags. In this operating
mode, an NFC enabled mobile phone is capable of reading NFC Forum mandated tag
types, such as NFC smart poster tags. This enables the mobile user to retrieve the data
stored in the tag and take appropriate actions afterwards. This is shown in Fig. 2.2.

Fig. 2.2 Reader/Writer Mode [1]

The reader/writer mode’s RF interface is compliant with ISO/IEC 14443 Type A and
Type B. NFC Forum has standardized tag types, operation of tag types and data exchange
format between components. The reader/writer operating mode usually does not need a
secure area. The process consists of only reading data stored inside the passive tag and
writing data to the passive tag.

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The protocol stack architecture of the reader/writer operating mode, the (NFC Data
Exchange Format) NDEF and record types are explained in the following sections.

PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF READER/WRITER MODE

Fig. 2.3 shows the protocol stack architecture of reader/writer mode.

Fig. 2.3 Protocol stack of reader/writer operating mode [1]

 Analog is related to RF characteristics of NFC devices and determines the

operating range of devices. Digital protocols refer to the digital aspects of
ISO/IEC 18092 and ISO/IEC 14443 standards, and define building blocks of the
communication.
 Tag operations indicate the commands and instructions used by NFC devices to
operate NFC Forum mandated tags which are Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and Type
4. They enable read and write operations by using the NDEF data format and
RTDs (Record Type Definitions) (i.e., smart poster, URI RTDs) from/to a tag.
 NDEF applications are based on NDEF specifications such as smart poster and
reading product information from NFC enabled smart shopping fliers.
 Non NDEF applications are vendor specific applications such as an electronic
purse balance reader and contactless ticket reader which are not based on NDEF
specifications. [1]

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NFC FORUM MANDATED TAG TYPES
1. NFC Forum Type 1 Tag Operation Specification
Type 1 Tag is based on ISO/IEC 14443A. Tags are read and re-write capable;
users can configure the tag to become read-only. Memory availability is 96 bytes
and expandable to 2 KB. [1]

2. NFC Forum Type 2 Tag Operation Specification

Type 2 Tag is based on ISO/IEC 14443A. Tags are read and re-write capable;
users can configure the tag to become read-only. Memory availability is 48 bytes
and expandable to 2 KB. [1]

3. NFC Forum Type 3 Tag Operation Specification

Type 3 Tag is based on the Japanese Industrial Standard X 6319-4, also known as
FeliCa. Tags are pre-configured at manufacture to be either read and re-writable,
or read-only. Memory availability is variable, theoretical memory limit is 1MB
per service. [1]

4. NFC Forum Type 4 Tag Operation Specification 2.0 (November 2010)

Type 4 Tag is fully compatible with the ISO/IEC 14443 standard series. Tags are
pre-configured at manufacture to be either read and re-writable, or read-only. The
memory availability is variable, up to 32 KB per service; the communication
interface is either Type A or Type B compliant. [1]

NDEF and RTD

NDEF specification is a standard defined by NFC Forum [7]. NDEF is a data format to
exchange information between NFC devices; namely, between an active NFC device and
passive tag, or two active NFC devices. The NDEF message is exchanged when an NFC
device is in the proximity of an NFC Forum mandated tag, the NDEF message is received
from the NFC Forum mandated tag, over the NFC Forum LLCP (Logical Link Control
Protocol).

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 Fig. 2.4 NDEF Structure [7]

NDEF is a binary message format that encapsulates one or more application defined
payloads into a single message as depicted in Fig. 2.4. An NDEF message contains one or
more NDEF records. A record is the unit for carrying a payload within an NDEF
message. Each record consists of a payload up to 232-1 octets in size. Records can be
chained together to support larger payloads as well.
NDEF records are variable length records with a common format. Record type names
(RTD) are used by NDEF applications to identify the semantics and structure of the
record content. NFC Forum defines various record types for specific cases; smart posters,
URIs, digital signature, and text [8].

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF READER/WRITER MODE

The generic usage model of an operating mode provides a model that almost fits with the
usage of all applications in that operating mode. The NFC Shopping use case makes use
of the reader/writer mode, and its usage under the generic usage model of the
reader/writer mode is shown in Fig. 2.5.

Fig. 2.5 Usage Model of NFC Shopping: Reader/Writer Mode [1].

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2.4 Peer-to-Peer Mode

In peer-to-peer mode, two NFC enabled mobile phones establish a bidirectional

connection to exchange information as depicted in Fig. 2.6. They can exchange virtual
business cards, digital photos, and any other kind of data. Peer-to-peer operating mode’s
RF communication interface is standardized by ISO/IEC 18092 as NFCIP-1.

Due to the low transfer speed of NFC if large amounts of data need to be sent, peer to
peer mode can be used to create a secondary high speed connection (handover) like
Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Fig. 2.6 Peer-to-peer mode [1]

This mode has 2 standardized options: NFCIP-1 and LLCP. NFCIP-1 takes advantage of
the initiator-target paradigm in which the initiator and the target devices are defined prior
to starting the communication. However, the devices are identical in LLCP
communication. After the initial handshake, the decision is made by the application that is
running in the application layer.

On account of the embedded power to mobile phones, both devices are in active mode
during the communication in peer-to-peer mode. Data are sent over a bi-directional half
duplex channel. Meaning that when one device is transmitting, the other one has to listen
and should start to transmit data after the first one finishes. The maximum possible data
rate in this mode is 424 kbps [1].

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PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE

Fig. 2.7 shows the protocol stack architecture of peer-to-peer mode.

Fig. 2.7 Protocol Stack of peer-to-peer operating mode [1]

 Analog and digital protocols are lower layer protocols standardized by NFCIP-1.
LLCP allows the transfer of upper layer information units between two NFC
devices.
 Protocol bindings provide standard bindings to NFC Forum protocols and allow
interoperable use of registered protocols.
 NFC Forum protocols are the ones that NFC Forum defines as binding to LLCP.
 Simple NDEF exchange protocol allows exchange of NDEF messages. It is also
possible to run other protocols over the data link layer provided by LLCP.
 Applications may run over the simple NDEF exchange protocol, other protocols,
or NFC Forum protocols. Example applications are printing from a camera,
business card exchange, and so on [1].

LLCP
The LLCP defines an OSI data link protocol to support peer-to-peer communication
between two NFC enabled devices. LLCP is essential for any NFC application that
involves a bi-directional communication as shown in Fig. 2.8 [9].

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 Fig. 2.8 Relationship between LLCP and OSI Reference Model [1]

LLCP provides a solid ground for peer-to-peer applications. It enhances the basic
functionalities provided by NFCIP-1 protocol as well. NFCIP-1 protocol provides a SAR
(Segmentation and Reassembly) Level 1 capability, as well as data flow control
depending on the “Go and Wait" principle usual for half duplex protocols. Furthermore,
NFCIP-1 protocol allows error handling by using acknowledgement (ACK) frame and
negative acknowledgement (NACK) frame, and provides an ordered data flow. It
provides a link layer which is reliable and error-free [10].

LLCP provides five important services: connectionless transport; connection oriented

transport; link activation, supervision and deactivation; asynchronous balanced
communication; and protocol multiplexing. [9]

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF PEER-TO-PEER MODE

In peer-to-peer mode, users communicate with each other using NFC enabled mobile
phones. In this mode normally no service provider is used in the process, meaning that
users do not communicate with it. If users intend to use any services on the Internet, a
service provider may be included in the process as well. A peer-to-peer mode usage
model of NFC Gossiping is illustrated in Fig. 2.9.

Fig. 2.9 Generic usage model of Peer-to-peer mode [1]

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2.5 Card Emulation Mode

In card emulation mode, the NFC enabled mobile phone acts as a contactless smartcard.
Either an NFC enabled mobile phone emulates an ISO 14443 smart card or a smart card
chip integrated in a mobile phone is connected to the antenna of the NFC module. As the
user touches her mobile phone to an NFC reader, the NFC reader initiates the
communication. The communication architecture of this mode is illustrated in Fig. 2.10.

In this mode, the NFC device appears to an external reader much the same as a traditional
contactless smart card. This enables contactless payments and ticketing by NFC devices
without changing the existing infrastructure [2].Mobile devices can even store multiple
contactless smart card applications in the smart card. Examples of emulated contactless
smart cards are credit card, debit card, and loyalty card.

Fig. 2.10 Card Emulation mode [1]

PROTOCOL STACK ARCHITECTURE OF CARD EMULATION MODE

Fig. 2.11 Protocol stack of Card Emulation Mode [1]

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Fig. 2.11 shows the protocol stack architecture of card emulation mode. NFC devices that
are operating in this mode use similar digital protocol and analog techniques as smart
cards and they are completely compatible with the smart card standards. Card emulation
mode includes proprietary contactless card applications such as payment, ticketing and
access control. These applications are based on ISO/IEC 14443 Type A, Type B and
FeliCa communication interfaces.

GENERIC USAGE MODEL OF CARD EMULATION MODE

Fig. 2.12 Generic usage model of Card Emulation mode [1]

In card emulation mode, the user interacts with an NFC reader, generally using her
mobile phone as a smart card. The NFC reader is owned by a service provider which is
possibly connected to the Internet as well. In this operating mode, the user connects to a
service provider through an NFC reader possibly without notifying the service provider
[1]. NFC Ticketing usage model using card emulation operating mode is depicted in Fig.
2.12.

2.6 Overview on Benefits of Operating Modes

Table 2.2 tabulates the benefits of various operating modes of NFC discussed in this
chapter. Furthermore, an important point to be compared in operating modes is access to
the service provider. Communication with the service provider is performed in different
ways in each mode which is shown in Table 2.3.

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 Table 2.2 Benefits of various operating modes of NFC. [11]

Reader/Writer Mode Peer-to-Peer Mode Card Emulation Mode

1. Increases 1. Easy data 1. Physical object

mobility exchange elimination
2. Decreases 2. Device pairing 2. Access control
physical effort
3. Ability to be
adapted in
many
scenarios
4. Easy to
implement

Table 2.3 Interaction with the service provider. [1]

Operating Initiator Target Connecting to Awareness

Modes Service Provider of Service
Provider

Reader/Writer Mobile NFC tag Through Internet Yes

device

Card NFC reader Mobile device Through NFC No

Emulation reader

Peer-to-Peer Mobile Mobile device Through Internet Yes

device

As a summary, the prominent mode of NFC is card emulation mode, because NFC yields
two big improvements in this mode: elimination of a physical object and providing access
control using a mobile device. Commercially available applications (payment, electronic
key, ticketing, etc.) generally use the card emulation mode [12].

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CHAPTER-3 NFC SECURITY

Security is the degree of protection against an intentional or accidental misuse or action.

So far we have discussed the working of NFC. This chapter gives analysis of security
with respect to NFC. It lists the threats, which are applicable to NFC, and describes
solutions to protect against these threats. All of this is given in the context of currently
available NFC hardware, NFC applications and possible future developments of NFC.

3.1 Threats and Solutions

A possible danger that has the potential to cause an unfair benefit to the unauthorized
people or to cause harm by exploiting vulnerability is called a threat. Threats may be
either intentional or unintentional [1]. The threats involved are eavesdropping, data
corruption, data modification, data insertion, man-in-the-middle attack etc. [13]

NFC by itself cannot protect against eavesdropping. It is important to note that data
transmitted in passive mode is significantly harder to be eavesdropped on.

NFC devices can counter data corruption because they can check the RF field, while they
are transmitting data. If an NFC device does this, it will be able to detect the attack. The
power which is needed to corrupt the data is significantly bigger, than the power which
can be detected by the NFC device. Thus, every such attack should be detectable [13].

Protection against data modification can be achieved in various ways. By using 106k
Baud in active mode it gets impossible for an attacker to modify all the data transmitted
via the RF link. This means that for both directions active mode would be needed to
protect against data modification. But this has the major drawback, that this mode is most
vulnerable to eavesdropping. Also, the protection against modification is not perfect, as
even at 106k Baud some bits can be modified. NFC devices can check the RF field while
sending. This means the sending device could continuously check for such an attack and
could stop the data transmission when an attack is detected [13]. Data insertion attack can
be avoided by the answering device by answering without delay.

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3.2 Standardised NFC Security Protocols

Security protocols of NFCIP-1 are standardized in ECMA 385 as NFC-SEC (NFC

Security) and ECMA 386 as NFC-SEC-01 [14].These security protocols are used in peer-
to-peer operating mode.

NFC-SEC provides security standard for peer-to-peer NFC communication. Protocols that
are included within NFC-SEC are defined to be used on top of NFCIP-1 protocol [1].

NFC-SEC-01 is standardized in ECMA 386 which specifies cryptographic mechanisms

for key agreement, data encryption and integrity [14].

NFC-SEC describes two different protocols as summarised in Table 3.1

Table 3.1 Summary of security services provided by various protocols. [15]

Protocol Security Services

NFC-SEC Eavesdropping, Data modification

NFC-SEC-01 -Diffie-Hellman key exchange (192 bit)

-Key derivation and confirmation (AES 128 bit)

-Data encryption (AES 128 bit)

-Data integrity (AES 128 bit)

NFC by itself cannot provide protection against eavesdropping or data modifications. The
only solution to achieve this is the establishment of a secure channel over NFC using
NFC-SEC protocols. This can be done very easily, because the NFC link is not
susceptible to the Man-in-the-Middle attack. This resistance against Man-in-the-Middle
attacks makes NFC an ideal method for secure pairing of devices.

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CHAPTER-4 NFC APPLICATIONS

This chapter is about developing NFC applications for mobile phones. There are various
NFC development platforms and languages. Example, for mobile phones with Android
operating system, Android SDK is used for NFC development [1].

NFC is used for a wide range of applications which can be divided into three categories as
shown in Fig. 4.1:

Fig. 4.1 Range of applications of NFC

The several of applications of NFC can be shown in Fig. 4.2.

Fig. 4.2 Applications of NFC [16]

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4.1 NFC Shopping: Reader/Writer Mode

Many real life scenarios can be implemented in reader/writer mode. In this use case we
have implemented an online shopping scenario in order to show NFC in action. Here, the
user adds products to the basket simply by touching the phone to the tags on the NFC
enabled shopping catalogs, thus using reader/writer mode. When the user runs the
application, the application waits for an NFC interaction to start. When the desired tag is
discovered within the proximity, data in the tag are transferred to the mobile phone and
product information is displayed to the user, and then the desired quantity is requested.
When the user confirms adding product to the basket, the product is inserted to the basket
and a confirmation message is displayed to the user. These steps are repeated until the
user decides to order the basket [1].

Fig. 4.3 shows the activity diagram of NFC Shopping which is a step-by-step flow of
what actually happens while using this application.

Fig. 4.3 NFC Shopping: Activity Diagram

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Data Structure
In order to implement the service, required data should be transferred from the NFC tag to
the mobile device:
1. Push registry entry: This is used to run the mobile application automatically
when a user touches a tag.
2. Product identification: This is the primary key for each product. The data
will be sent to the backend information server after ordering the basket
together with the desired quantities. The information system will be able to
identify the desired products using the data. Note that the user will input the
desired quantity of a product.
3. Product information: This is used to display a short description of the
product to the user.
4. Product price: This is used to display the price of the product to the user.

Usage Model
Fig.4.4 depicts the usage model of this application. The steps for the same are as follows:
1. Service request: User (say Alice) touches her mobile phone to the tag on the smart
NFC catalog.
2. Data transfer: Push registry, product identification, product information, and
product price are transferred to the mobile phone.
3. Processing by the mobile device: The application is started with push registry data
(if not started already). Then, the mobile phone performs the required processing
such as displaying product information to the user, asking for input from the user,
adding a product to the basket, and so on.
4. Order online: Alice orders the current basket, and the mobile phone
communicates with the supermarket’s server through a mobile Internet service or
a Wi-Fi service. The server confirms this request and sends a confirmation
message about having received the required data successfully.

Fig. 4.4 NFC Shopping: Usage Model [1]

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4.2 NFC Gossiping: Peer-to-Peer Mode

NFC Gossiping is a social interaction application. The gossiping case’s aim is to establish
a digital gossiping service, so that people can disseminate information to others peer-to-
peer. The following Fig.4.5 shows the activity diagram of NFC Gossiping application.

Fig. 4.5 NFC Gossiping: Activity Diagram

Data Structure
In order to implement the required service, gossip data should be stored in the mobile
device’s storage. The following data need to be stored in order to perform the necessary
functions:
1. Gossip message: This is the actual message that will be sent to peers.
2. Group name: This holds the defined group names.
3. Message group: This stores the corresponding group of each message.
Since each message will share to the next person according to its group,
the group data are required.

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Usage Model
Fig. 4.6 shows the usage model of NFC Gossiping message transfer where user Alice
transfers the message to Bob that she wants to share.

Fig. 4.6 NFC Gossiping: Usage Model [1]

4.3 NFC Ticketing: Card Emulation Mode

NFC Ticketing is an application which is used to buy tickets at the ticket counter. This
application uses Card Emulation mode. Here, user (say Alice) approaches a kiosk to buy
tickets which has NFC technology integrated in the kiosk machines. Alice selects the
show specifications; and then she pays for the tickets using her NFC enabled mobile
phone by touching her mobile phone to the reader embedded at the kiosk. After the
payment was confirmed, she touches another tag to transfer tickets to her mobile phone.
Then Alice approaches the turnstile at the entrance of the cinema. Alice touches her
mobile phone to the reader on the turnstile after which the turnstile opens. Fig. 4.7 and
Fig. 4.8 show the activity diagram for the use case described above.

Usage Model
The NFC ticketing use case includes two card emulation applications. Thus, the given
usage model of NFC ticketing includes the generic usage model twice as shown in Fig.
4.9 [1].

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 Fig. 4.7 NFC ticketing: Activity diagram

Fig. 4.8 NFC ticketing: Activity diagram

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 Fig. 4.9 NFC Ticketing: Usage Model [1]

1. Payment request: Alice requests payment by touching her mobile phone to the
reader on a kiosk machine. The NFC reader reads the required credit card data.
2. Credit card authorization: The reader sends the credit card information to the
backend information system for credit card authorization.
3. Payment confirmation: The mobile phone is notified on the transaction and the
ticket is sent to the device over the air.
4. Entrance request: Alice requests entrance to the cinema by touching her mobile
phone to the reader at the turnstile. The NFC reader reads the ticket and processes
it.
5. Ticket validation: The NFC reader sends the ticket information to the backend
system in order to validate it.
6. Turnstile opening: When the ticket is validated, the turnstile is opened.

To summarize, various modes of operation of NFC can be used to implement different

types of applications. Along with the above mentioned applications, we can also perform
a variety of daily routine tasks using NFC such as unlocking car, getting entry inside a
building, buying articles, banking, etc. NFC can also establish a Bluetooth connecting
between phones for sending large amounts of data from a further distance range than NFC
covers.

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4.4 Future Scope of NFC

NFC could be used for so much more than just data transfer and payments. We can
purchase our tickets, reserve hotel, unlock and lock rooms and cars etc. The truth is that
all of this and more is possible with NFC. As long as vendors get a reader that supports
NFC, capable phones can quickly and easily send information to those devices.
With Android, Nokia and Blackberry all in various stages of supporting NFC, others feel
the pressure to offer support as well to avoid falling behind in a technologically advanced
world. Some current as well as developing applications of NFC include:
 Google Wallet: Google’s smartphone program that allows users to load credit card
information and pay.
 Visa and Samsung have partnered to create a NFC compatible smartphone geared
at fans of the Olympics. This smartphone will carry special content and aims to
make purchases and other interactions at the Olympic Games faster and easier.

As other cell phone manufacturers race to keep up, NFC could grow substantially and be
offered on more and more devices. All in all, the future of NFC looks bright.

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CHAPTER-5 CONCLUSION

Near field communication can be extremely beneficial in the modern era of technology.
NFC is an extremely simple and convenient technology because the data exchange can be
done by just bringing two NFC enabled devices together. It is interactive and secure
which does not require any special software to run on. The underlying standards of NFC
follow universally implemented ISO, ECMA and ETSI standards. It also does not require
any manual configuration or settings which make it easier for consumers.

This technology has the limitation that it can be operated only with devices under a short
range and has a very less data transfer rate. Consumer privacy and data security is also at
risk if there is a cyber-breach. A major challenge is interoperability which is guaranteed
only if the devices comply with the standards required. Even after these hindrances, NFC
is building on existing systems, popular example being Google Wallet. So, it has a very
good chance to be valued and used for many years to come.

Thus, NFC is a new technology and like other technologies it is hard to make it
mainstream as of now because of technological limitations. But it’s fast growing and it
will be successful once the strict security measures are set in place.

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REFERENCES

[1] Vedat Coskun, Kerem Ok and Busra Ordenizci, “Near Field Communication from
Theory to Practice”, 1st Edition. New York: Wiley, 2012.
[2] NFC Forum, Analog, Technical Specification, Version 1.0, July 2012.
[3] M. Csapodi, A. Nagy, “New applications for NFC devices”, Proc. of 16th IST
Mobile and Wireless Communications, Budapest, Hungary, IEEE, 2007, pp. 245-
249.
[4] ECMA 340: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP-1), 3rd
Edition, June 2013.
[5] ECMA 352: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol (NFCIP-2), 3rd
Edition, June 2013.
[6] Rukzio E., Callaghan V., Leichtenstern K., and Schmidt A. (2006), “An
Experimental Comparison of Physical Mobile Interaction Techniques: Touching,
Pointing and Scanning”, Proc. of Eighth International Conference on Ubiquitous
Computing, CA, USA, 17–21 September 2006, pp. 7–104.
[7] NFC Forum, NFC NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), Technical Specification,
Version1.0, July 2006.
[8] NFC Forum, NFC NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF), Technical Specification,
Version1.0, July 2006.
[9] NFC Forum, Logical Link Control Protocol, Technical Specification, Version 1.0,
December 2009.
[10] Tuikka T. and Isomursu M., “Touch the Future with a Smart Touch”, VTT
Tiedotteita – Research Notes 2492, Espoo, Finland, 2009.
[11] B. Ozdenizci, M. N. Aydin, V. Coskun, K. Ok, “NFC Research Framework: A
Literature Review and Future Research Directions”, Proc. 14th IBIMA
International Business Information Management Conf., Istanbul, TURKEY, 2010,
pp. 2672-2685.
[12] Vedat Coskun, Kerem Ok and Busra Ordenizci, “Current Benefits and Future
Directions of NFC Services”, Proc. of 2010 International Conference on
Education and Management Technology (ICEMT), Cairo, Egypt, 2–4 November
2010, pp. 334–338.
U10EC014, Odd Semester, 2013-14 32
[13] E. Haselsteiner, K. Breitfuß, “Security in Near Field Communication (NFC)”, in
Workshop on RFID Security, 2006.
[14] ECMA 386: NFC-SEC-01: NFC-SEC Cryptographic Standard using ECDH and
AES, June 2010.
[15] ECMA 385: NFC-SEC: NFCIP-1 Security Services and Protocol, June 2010.
[16] Franssila H., “User Experiences and Acceptance Scenarios of NFC Applications
in Security Service Field Work”, Proc. of the 2010 Second International
Workshop on Near Field Communication, Monaco, 20–22 April 2010, pp. 39.

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ACRONYMS
1. NFC: Near Field Communication

2. SE: Secure Element

3. RF: Radio Frequency

4. ISO: International Organization for Standardization

5. IEC: International Electrotechnical Commission

6. ECMA: European Computer Manufacturers Association

7. RFID: Radio Frequency Identification

8. ISM: Industrial, Scientific and Medical

9. OOK: On/Off Keying

10. ASK: Amplitude Shift Keying

11. BPSK: Binary Phase Shift Keying

12. NFCIP: Near Field Communication Interface and Protocol

13. ETSI TS: European Telecommunications Standards Institute Technical

Specification

14. CRC: Cyclic Redundancy Check

15. PCD: Proximity Coupling Device

16. VCD: Vicinity Coupling Device

17. PICC: Proximity Integrated Circuit Card

18. NDEF: NFC Data Exchange Format

19. RTD: Record Type Definition

20. LLCP: Logical Link Control Protocol

21. OSI: Open Systems Interconnection

22. NFC-SEC: NFC Security

23. AES: Advanced Encryption Standard

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