NFC Forum has revealed the addition of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) that will composed of leaders from the consumer electronics, health care, payment, retail and transport sectors to work on NFC solution implementation, interoperability, best practices and future requirements.

The SIGs will work to involve NFC stakeholders in key vertical markets, use cases and technology segments as well as position the NFC Forum to take a more active role in furthering the development, deployment, and adoption of NFC-based solutions.

The Forum is aware of the importance of NFC and the momentum that the technology is gaining. With a reported 100 million NFC-enabled smartphones sold in 2012 and an estimated 300 million to be shipped in 2013, the aim of the group’s is to bolster market implementation.

The five new SIGs were announced in a pair of webcasts — “NFC Goes Vertical” — held on Jan. 24.

The new SIGs’ activities will include:

• Educating the market on use cases, implementation issues and lessons learned
• Gathering business requirements to drive new or modified technical work
• Exploring ways to facilitate or simplify certification of NFC-enabled devices
• Establishing and managing relationships with other groups to further collaboration efforts
• Creating regional programs as needed

The five new SIG Working Groups will report to a new SIG Committee, which in turn reports to the NFC Forum Board. Working through the SIG Committee, NFC Forum members will be given the opportunity to recommend the formation of additional SIGs and work items.