Nokia, Philips and Sony establish the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum
18 March, 2004
category: Contactless, Financial, NFC
Forum will drive industry-uptake of intuitive NFC technology that enables touch based interaction with electronic devices
Hannover, Germany, 18 March 2004 – Nokia Corporation, Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) and Sony Corporation establish the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum to enable the use of touch-based interactions in consumer electronics, mobile devices, PCs, smart objects and for payment purposes. Touch-based interactions will allow users to access content and services in an intuitive way by touching smart objects and connecting devices just by holding them next to each other. The new forum will promote implementation and standardization of NFC technology to ensure interoperability between devices and services.
Consumers are seeking easier ways to interact with their immediate environment and to enable easy communication between their electronic devices and gain access to services. The vision of the NFC Forum is to enable users to access content and services in an intuitive way. To bring this vision to life, Nokia, Philips and Sony invite other leading companies from mobile communications, consumer electronics, chip manufacturing, computing, media and entertainment, telecom and payment services to join the NFC Forum.
“At Philips our focus is giving consumers easy access to information, entertainment and services – NFC does just that,” said Scott McGregor, President and Chief Executive Officer, Philips Semiconductors. “Enabling easy transfer of information between consumer devices from phone numbers to electronic transactions, NFC bridges today’s connectivity gap and allows ‘connected consumers’ to interact with their environment. By pushing the technology with the backing of an industry organization such as the NFC Forum, NFC will soon open up a range of new opportunities for the consumer.”
“Nokia sees touch-based interactions, enabled by Near Field Communciation technology, as an elegant way of bringing Nokia’s Life goes Mobile vision into reality,” said Pertti Korhonen Chief-Technology Officer, Senior Vice President, Nokia. “Touch is an intuitive and easy way to connect, collect and share with mobile devices. It will not only enhance the experience of using current services but also create entirely new applications and value. Nokia is looking forward to working with the other members to bring this exciting new user experience to the mobile world.”
“Sony positions NFC as a new form of user interface technology for consumer electronics products, and will strongly promote integration of NFC into numerous products across a wide variety of industries,” said Teruaki Aoki, Senior Executive Vice President, Sony Corporation. “The use of NFC technology in consumer electronics devices will increase opportunities for users to transfer data, implement secure transactions and download rich content. We have high expectations that this will significantly enhance the convenience and enjoyability of products and services. The activities of the NFC Forum will be to focus on ensuring interoperability among various devices which will be crucial for high acceptance of NFC technology, and Sony will proactively participate in these efforts.”
About Near Field Communication (NFC)
NFC technology evolved from a combination of contactless identification (RFID) and interconnection technologies. NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz frequency range, over a distance of typically a few centimetres. NFC technology is standardized in ISO 18092, ECMA 340, and ETSI TS 102 190. NFC is also compatible to the broadly established contactless smart card infrastructure based on ISO 14443 A, i.e. Philips MIFARE(R) technology, as well as Sony’s FeliCa* card.
About the NFC Forum
Further information is available at http://www.nfc-forum.org.
About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people’s lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and secure products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.
About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands is one of the world’s biggest electronics companies and Europe’s largest, with sales of EUR 29 billion in 2003. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 164,500 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems. Philips is quoted on the NYSE (symbol: PHG), Amsterdam and other stock exchanges. News from Philips is located at www.semiconductors.philips.com.
About Sony Corporation
Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, pictures and computer entertainment operations make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $62 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003. Sony’s Home Page URL: http://www.sony.net/
MIFARE(R) is a registered trademark of Royal Philips Electronics.
FeliCa* is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
Near Field Communications News and InsightExplore 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.
