The hurdles facing NFC’s bid to be the main technology for mobile payments are numerous ‘ the need for new merchant infrastructure; Apple’s coolness; the rise of alternatives based on Bluetooth or the web. And when NFC does make progress, it is often not in a way that helps cellcos ‘ which have backed the technology enthusiastically because it has been tied into their power base, the SIM card. The rise of HCE (host card emulation) makes NFC easier to adopt but bypasses the cellco’s SIM by carrying out authentication in the cloud. Now NFC is taking a step forward in the internet of things, but that is via the Wi-Fi Alliance, not the mobile networks. The Alliance is certifying…