According to a number of audience members who attended a recent a recent presentation from Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile Germany), a slide popped up in the middle of the keynote which showed a NFC-enabled iPhone. Of course, this isn’t exactly a surprise. Our own sources confirmed the technology would be present in iPhone 5 just a few weeks ago.

For those not yet familiar with the technology, Near Field Communication or NFC is a short-range high frequency wireless communication technology which enables the exchange of data between devices over a 10 centimeter (around 4 inches) distance.

Deutsche Telekom announced that it expects NFC phones in 2011 from Apple, Samsung[Nexus S?] in Q2, and RIM & LG in Q3. The company expects mobile payments replacing cash to be the most popular use for NFC technology, followed by mobile ticketing for services such as public transportation.

We’ve already seen that VISA is already trialing NFC based payments in the UK (and other countries) via a new iPhone accessory which is only available via your bank. It only makes sense that Apple would get rid of the need for an actual accessory and instead build the technology right into the unit.

Watch this space.

[via 9to5Mac]