ABI Research expects NFC to come out its “trial phase” in 2013 and as a result the technology is expected to see a surge in both the number of functionalities and devices.

ABI research expects the majority of NFC advancements to be made in mobile handset market. However, ABI also predicts a wider trend and surge in NFC-enabled consumer electronics in the form of media tablets, PC accessories and gaming consoles.

The trend toward NFC adoption into everyday consumer electronics shows that the public believes there is more to the technology than just mobile payments. It has become evident that NFC can provide a number of functionalities to service providers beyond payments, including online/offline authentication, retail and loyalty applications, reader functionality, AFC and commercial capabilities— all of which can create revenue.

Also crucial to the expansion of NFC to consumer electronics is the potential increase in adoption and use. With Android and Windows Phone 8 driving the handset market and Android tablets and Windows PCs driving the consumer electronic sector, NFC adoption stands to benefit greatly from the increased interaction with the technology.

ABI reports that total NFC-enabled handset shipments will grow to 102 million by year’s end, up from 2011′s 80 million devices. ABI also estimates that 9 in 10 manufacturers now offer at least one NFC-enabled handset for commercial purchase.

See ABI Research’s report here.