The UK’s Independent newspaper is reporting that Apple has decided not to include near field communication functionality in the next version of the iPhone, due to a “lack of a clear standard across the industry.”

The Independent reports that:

Sources at several of the largest mobile operators in the UK revealed Apple had disclosed in meetings that it would not be including Near Field Communication (NFC) technology — which enables payment for products with a wave of your phone on a reader — in the latest version of the iPhone, be it the iPhone 4GS or the iPhone 5.

One source close to the discussions said: “The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry.”

Apple has been widely expected to include NFC in the iPhone 5, following the publication of a series of patents that show the company has a clear business case for NFC and rumours that the company plans to distribute low cost NFC terminals to merchants. To date, however, Apple has made no public announcements regarding its plans for the technology.

In December, the NFC Forum completed work on the first wave of its device certification programme, enabling manufacturers of NFC devices to submit their products for testing and then place an NFC Forum Certification Mark on their approved devices. Much work remains to be done, however, before a full set of certification processes are completed in 2012.

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