The NFC Forum announced Tuesday signing of a liaison agreement with the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) and the addition of nine new members to the key standards and advocacy association for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.
The NFC Forum’s newest additions to the 150-member organization include: PARAGON ID (Associate Member); Clevertouch; Republic Wireless; Hyundai Mobis; AdvanIDe; Springcard; TXCOM; Voyantic (Implementer Members) and Smarting Engineering (Startup Implementer Member). These recent additions to the global technology standards organization demonstrate the power and versatility of NFC technology. They offer NFC-enabled products and services ranging from identity solutions and automobile parts to contactless readers and testing and measurement solutions reflecting the worldwide growth and application of NFC technology.
The NFC 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 global member companies are currently developing specifications for a modular NFC device architecture, and protocols for interoperable data exchange and device-independent service delivery, device discovery, and device capability. Only member companies can participate in the Forum’s certification program of NFC devices, readers and tags.
The NFC Forum’s Sponsor members, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include players in various verticals across the world. The Sponsor members are Apple, Dai Nippon Printing Co., Google, Infineon, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa.
The liaison agreement states that the NFC Forum and VDA will work together to co-develop NFC use cases and requirements toward the goal of enabling NFC interfaces and technology integration to support the creation of exciting, new consumer products and services for vehicles worldwide.
Relevant applications include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi pairing, flexible and secure car access and the enabling of smart mobility solutions. VDA promotes the standardization of interfaces between mobile devices and automotive electronic control units ensuring long-term interoperability between NFC-enabled smart cars and smart devices.
“We are in the midst of an economic transformation worldwide that will ultimately prove to be a great benefit for consumers. It is estimated that 80% of the world’s economic value will come from connectivity improvements to existing public transport, automobiles, devices and the Internet of Things,” said Paula Hunter, executive director, NFC Forum. “VDA and the NFC Forum plan to work together to develop the standards and specifications to help power this transformation with NFC technology as a key enabler.”
As a member at the Implementer and Startup Implementer levels, members can join one of the NFC Forum’s Special Interest Group (SIG) Committees. These SIG Committees work alongside other NFC Forum Committees and Working Groups to empower organizations to deliver secure, tap-based interactions with an intuitive, reliable experience to users around the globe.
Any organization using NFC or interested in learning more about NFC technology to improve their product, service or customer experience is encouraged to apply for NFC Forum membership.
In addition to ongoing work via conference calls and online meetings, the NFC Forum holds face-to-face, member meetings three times a year to advance NFC initiatives and to address specifications, market requirements and other projects under development.
