NFC Forum tops 100 member organizations
07 December, 2006
category: Contactless, Financial, NFC
Membership in the NFC Forum, created to market and advance the use of near field communication, has reached the century mark after just two years of operation. The announcement came during the organization’s largest turnout to date quarterly meeting in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO–The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that its membership roster has grown to over 100 organizations. Since its founding two years ago, the NFC Forum continues to attract market-leading organizations from around the world to its membership ranks, demonstrating growing momentum for the adoption and implementation of Near Field Communication technology. This week in San Diego, over 160 representatives from the 100+ member organizations are attending the Forum’s quarterly meeting, where they are convening to advance NFC initiatives and specifications in face-to-face working sessions.
Qualcomm, Inc. and Telefónica S.A. joined the Forum in the last five months as Principal-level members. Broadcom Corporation also upgraded its membership to the Principal level.
During the same time period, the following companies joined the Forum at the Associate level: AuthenTec Inc., Beijing Tsinghua Tongfang Microelectronics Co. Ltd., Cambridge Silicon Radio, Chunghwa Telecom Laboratories, Diversinet, ecash corporation, Glue4 Technologies Ltd., Ingenico, Kyocera Telecommunications Research Corp., Mobile Candy Dish, MStar Semiconductor, Inc., PCCW Limited, RFCyber Corporation, Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Co., Ltd., TeliaSonera AB, Veolia Transport. In addition, new Non-Profit organization members who have joined the Forum include: Austrian Research Centers GmbH, University of Rome Sapienza, GSM Association, Institute for Information Industry, Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund GmbH, StoLPan, and Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research.
“We are excited that the NFC Forum’s membership has grown at such a rapid pace,” said Gerhard Romen, chairman of the NFC Forum Marketing Committee. “The growth in our membership roster parallels the significant progress we have made in defining NFC specifications, and the progress that many of our members have made in creating the NFC ecosystem in technology as well as market and project activities.”
The organizations that are new to the Forum join a prestigious membership group composed of major players in their respective industries, including Sponsor-level members HP, MasterCard International, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, Texas Instruments, and Visa International.
Near Field Communication is a short-range, wireless connectivity technology that allows consumers to perform safe, contactless transactions, access digital content, and connect electronic devices with a single touch. Consumers with NFC-enabled mobile phones may, for example, leave their wallets at home and use their phones to enact contactless financial transactions, or to gain electronic access to public transportation. Strategy Analytics forecasts that mobile phone-based contactless payments will facilitate over $36 billion of worldwide consumer spending by 2011.
The Forum’s quarterly face-to-face meetings facilitate working relationships among industry partners and peers. In San Diego, over 20 different groups are meeting, including the Forum’s Technical Committee, Marketing Committee, Developer Outreach Group, Privacy Advisory Council, and Task Forces to continue their work developing the specifications, educational programs and policies that advance the adoption of Near Field Communications technology.
About the NFC Forum
The NFC Forum, 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 100+ 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.
Explore more developments dealing with the implementation of Near Field Communications, a short-range wireless technology that promises to revolutionize contactless identification, payment, access, and more. Click to visit NFCNews.