SCM Microsystems joins NFC Forum
31 October, 2007
category: NFC
SCM Microsystems has joined the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum, a non-profit industry association advancing the use of NFC technology, as a Principal member. “SCM Microsystems is pleased to join other industry leaders in the NFC Forum to further the adoption of NFC technology,” said Felix Marx, chief executive officer of SCM Microsystems.
SCM Microsystems Joins NFC Forum at Principal Level
FREMONT, Calif., Oct. 30–SCM Microsystems, Inc. , a leading provider of solutions that open the Digital World, announced today that it has joined the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum, a non-profit industry association advancing the use of NFC technology, as a Principal member.
The NFC Forum is a global standards development and advocacy group dedicated to advancing Near Field Communication technology, educating the public about its benefits, and furthering its implementation around the world. NFC is a wireless connectivity technology that enables convenient short-range communication between electronic devices. It is designed to be easy for consumers to use, while ensuring security for payment and financial applications. NFC technology is being developed to enable electronics devices such as PDAs or cell phones to quickly and conveniently perform functions such as purchasing goods or services, transferring music or digital pictures, and updating address books.
“SCM Microsystems is pleased to join other industry leaders in the NFC Forum to further the adoption of NFC technology,” said Felix Marx, chief executive officer of SCM Microsystems. “There is tremendous excitement about the potential for NFC to transform the way we communicate, conduct business and experience entertainment in the Digital World. As a leader in smart card interface technology for both contact and contactless card infrastructures, embracing NFC is a logical step in our overall product strategy. SCM currently includes NFC compliant USB tokens and readers in our product portfolio. Going forward, we plan to expand our NFC offerings to address a broad range of payment, identification, and access control applications.”
The NFC Forum’s corporate members include both product and services firms: companies from the mobile communications, consumer electronics, chip manufacturing, computing, media and entertainment, telecom and payment services sectors. The Forum carries out its work primarily through focused working groups of members covering its various areas of interest, and it promotes the adoption of NFC through open specification development, interoperability testing and compliance facilities, and by publicizing the value of NFC-enabled products and services.
About Near Field Communication Technology and Applications
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way interactions among 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 universally implemented 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 125+ 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 that hold seats on the Board of Directors include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: HP, MasterCard International, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, and Visa International.
About SCM Microsystems
SCM Microsystems is a leading supplier of solutions that open the Digital World by enabling people to conveniently access digital content and services. The company develops, markets and sells the industry’s broadest range of smart card reader technology for secure PC, network and physical access and digital media readers for transfer of digital content to OEM customers in the government, financial, enterprise, consumer electronics and photographic equipment markets worldwide. Global headquarters are in Ismaning, Germany. For additional information, visit the SCM Microsystems web site at http://www.scmmicro.com.
