NFC Forum Reaches Major Milestone with Launch of Certification Program

 Action Key to Global Commercialization of Interoperable NFC Solutions

PARIS – December 7, 2010 – The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today formally unveiled its Certification Program at Cartes & IDentification in Paris. The NFC Forum Certification Program gives device manufacturers a means of establishing their products’ compliance with the NFC Forum’s technical specifications.

The Certification Program offers increased assurance that NFC Forum-certified products are interoperable with other NFC Forum-certified products. It also supports consistency in the behavior of NFC devices by confirming that products conform to NFC Forum specifications. Under the program, companies submit their devices to an authorized NFC Forum test laboratory for conformance testing using NFC Forum-validated test tools. The results are submitted to the independent, neutral thirdparty certification administrator for validation and approval. The program includes a problem and issue resolution process, and the anonymity of all submissions is assured.

In addition to the Certification Program, the NFC Forum supports "PlugFest" events held throughout the year, at which NFC solutions providers can test the interoperability of their products with other NFC products.

Certification is open only to NFC Forum members. The NFC Forum has a lower-cost Implementer membership level for companies that plan to implement the standards and certify products. For information on how to join the NFC Forum, and participate in the Certification Program, visit www.nfc-forum.org/certification.

The Certification Program is being launched in waves, as NFC Forum specifications evolve. The first Certification Wave includes testing for the lower-level digital protocols, specifically the Tag Operation specifications for the different tag types, the NFC Digital Protocol Specification, and the NFC Activity Specification. The second Certification Wave, scheduled to launch in 2012, adds testing for the physical layer and selected upper-level digital protocols, including RF analog and peer-to-peer.

"With the announcement of the NFC Forum Certification Program, developers have the essential resources they need to build and deploy globally interoperable NFC Forum-compliant solutions," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "The Certification Program represents the culmination of a great deal of diligence and hard work by representatives of many NFC Forum member companies from a wide variety of industries and locations worldwide."
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Only companies whose products pass certification testing will be able to display the N-Mark, the universal symbol for NFC, on their devices. The N-Mark tells consumers where to touch to initiate NFC services on a device. The N-Mark also lets consumers know where to touch, for example, a poster, sign, badge, or label to trigger NFC services.

Companies with certified devices may display the NFC Forum Certifcation Mark. on their websites, manuals, marketing and packaging materials to denote compliance and add credibility to their product.

Companies also have the option to list their certified products on the NFC Forum website, so that other ecosystem players can easily find them.

Open Group, a vendor-neutral and technology-neutral consortium, will serve as the certification partner for the NFC Forum Certification Program. "The NFC Forum’s collaborative efforts in developing standards for short-range wireless communications are at the forefront of securing information flow to enable new business applications in the expanding mobile market. By choosing to create a Certification Program, the NFC Forum can now confirm that certified products conform to a set of universally accepted specifications that are geared toward creating mobile systems that work together and exchange information for easier use," noted Allen Brown, president and CEO, Open Group.

Additional NFC Forum Certification Program partners include: test tool providers AT4 wireless and Clear2Pay; as well as test tool validation house Applus+. Each of these vendors has a contract with the NFC Forum and is responsible for delivering critical components of the Certification Program infrastructure.

For more information about certification, write to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.nfcforum.org/certification.

About Near Field Communication Technology

NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.

A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.

NFC technology is supported by the world’s leading communication device manufacturers, semiconductor producers, network operators, IT and services companies, and financial services organizations. NFC is compatible with hundreds of millions of contactless cards and readers already deployed worldwide.

About the NFC Forum

The NFC Forum, was launched as a non-profit industry association in 2004 by leading mobile communications, semiconductor and consumer electronics companies. The Forum’s mission is to advance the use of Near Field Communication technology by developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services and educating the market about NFC technology. The Forum’s 130 global member companies currently are developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery and device capability.

The NFC Forum’s Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Visa Inc.

For further information:

Ruth Cassidy, NFC Forum Public Relations
+1 617 957 8494
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