The NFC Forum
(http://www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that
advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today
announced a Memorandum of Understanding between the Forum and the
European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Under the terms
of the agreement, the NFC Forum and ETSI will align their activities to
help the NFC community to implement solutions that comply with
NFC-related specifications developed by both organizations.
ETSI develops globally-applicable standards for many different
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Among these are
standards for smart cards for mobile communications and other
applications, standards for close range inductive data communications
and for a variety of short range devices.
The work of the two organizations intersects at the point where
specifications and standards development come together. The agreement
ensures a high level of alignment between the two organizations.
“When industry associations work hand-in-hand with standards bodies, it
assures solutions providers that their products and services will reach
the broadest possible market and work effectively around the world,”
said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. “ETSI is one of the
world’s premier standards bodies and we are pleased to partner with them.”
ETSI’s Director-General, Walter Weigel, declared, “ETSI is committed to
ensure global interoperability and avoid duplication of work. Hence, I
am very happy about this MoU with the NFC Forum and I am confident that
this collaboration will lead to many benefits for the industry and end
users.”
As the NFC Forum and ETSI prepare to release additional specifications,
the relationship will aid the coordination of activities related to
testing and product certification. The agreement will also enable the
two organizations to exchange questions and answers regarding each
other’s work and to better coordinate future endeavors.
About Near Field Communication Technology
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range
wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way
interactions between electronic devices. NFC technology allows consumers
to perform contactless transactions, access digital content and connect
devices with the simplicity of a single touch.
Near Field Communication (NFC) technology provides global
interoperability of contactless identification and interconnection
technologies. NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz frequency range, over a
typical distance of a few centimeters. The underlying layers of NFC
technology are based on ISO, ECMA, and ETSI standards. 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, http://www.nfc-forum.org, 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 150 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: HP, INSIDE Contactless, MasterCard Worldwide,
Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors,
Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, and Visa Inc.
About ETSI
ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and
Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio,
converged, broadcast and internet technologies and is officially
recognized by the European Commission as a European Standards
Organization. ETSI is a not-for-profit organization whose 720+ member
companies and organizations, from 62 countries across 5 continents
worldwide, determine its work programme and participate directly in its
technical activities. . For more information, please visit:
http://www.etsi.org.
