NFC Forum

NFC Forum Member Committees

The Forum's member-driven Committees and Working Groups are the means by which the NFC Forum carries out its objectives. The NFC Forum currently has three standing Member Committees, which are open to Sponsor and Principal Members:

• Marketing Committee, which has two Working Groups that are open to all members, with voting rights for Sponsor and Principal Members


• Technical Committee, which has three Working Groups that are open to all members except Implementer members, with voting rights for Sponsor and Principal Members


• Compliance Committee, which has three Working Groups that are open to all members except Implementer members, with voting rights for Sponsor and Principal Members

New groups and sub-groups are formed as needed. All members except Implementer members receive notification of proposed new Working Groups and are invited to comment before they are formed. Committee and Working Group operations are governed by the Forum's Rules of Procedure, which also detail the process for draft specifications and final specifications to be submitted for member comments and votes.

View the NFC Forum Organization Chart.
View a list of the NFC Forum Group Chairs.

Marketing Committee

The NFC Forum’s Marketing Committee, open to participation by Sponsor and Principal Member representatives, is the primary member-level forum for marketing and education discussions. The initial scope of the NFC Forum Marketing Committee is:

• To educate the marketplace about NFC technology and the NFC Forum's work
• To educate consumers about the benefits of NFC technology, via public relations and other communications programs
• To enable the Forum's participation at appropriate conferences and tradeshows
• To maintain and enhance the Forum's Web site
• To support recruitment of new Forum members

The Marketing Committee has two Working Groups. Marketing Committee Working Group participation is open to all NFC Forum members, with voting rights reserved for designated Sponsor and Principal member representatives, and non-voting status for Associate, Implementer, and Non-profit member representatives.

Marketing Committee Chair: Peter Preuss, Nokia

Marketing Communication Working Group

The Marketing Communications Working Group creates and maintains a variety of communications tools and materials, manages marketing channels and NFC Forum brands. There is a strong focus on regional programs to customize messages for the needs of the different target markets and segments.

Marketing Communications Working Group Chair: Julia Charnock, Innovision Research & Technology

Ecosystem Development Working Group

The Ecosystem Development Working Group works with multiple audiences and executes outreach programs with partners and others to develop and foster the NFC community, with the aim of ecosystem players creating a breadth of applications.

Ecosystem Development Working Group Chair: Peter Coster, Toppan Forms

Technical Committee

The NFC Forum's Technical Committee coordinates the efforts of the three Technical Working Groups, which are the primary member-level forum for technical discussions. The Technical Working Groups have the following range of activity:

• To summarize and compile existing work of the member companies into specifications
• To develop additional specifications in the area of NFC transport protocol
• To develop recommendations for data structures and protocols
• To create test procedures for compliance testing

The Technical Committee has three Working Groups. Working Group participation is open to all NFC Forum members except Implementer members, with voting rights reserved for designated Sponsor and Principal member representatives, and non-voting status for Associate and Non-profit member representatives.

Technical Committee Chair: Jonathan Main, MasterCard Worldwide

NFC Devices Technical Working Group

The NFC Devices Technical Working Group handles the baseline NFC functionalities, including:

• Developing a modular architecture for NFC devices
• Developing and maintaining specifications for interoperable data exchange and protocols for device discovery and device capability
• Developing and maintaining specifications for NFC compatible tags
• Specifying functionality for device-to-device communication
• Specifying functionality for reader/writer communication and card emulation

NFC Devices Technical Working Group Chair: John Waters, Innovision Research and Technology

Reference Applications Framework Technical Working Group

The Reference Applications Framework Technical Working Group develops and maintains the application framework for NFC. The Working Group has the following initial range of activity:

• Specifying how to configure other communication systems like Wireless LAN and Bluetooth easily by using NFC, and discussing this with other special interest groups
• Developing a "SmartPoster" application which enables the storage of content like SMS, phone numbers and URLs on smart tags
• Evaluating and specifying a service discovery method for NFC if needed

The Working Group may also develop the framework for new applications and use cases.

Reference Applications Framework Technical Working Group Chair: Stephen Tiedemann, Sony

Security Technical Working Group

The Security Technical Working Group handles security and data protection issues within the NFC Forum, and provides security-related guidance for all other Forum technical activities. Activities of the Security Working Group include:

• Defining a modular security architecture for NFC-based communications
• Providing support and guidance to other working groups on security-related topics
• Defining common security requirements, and describing threat models relevant to NFC-based communications
• Defining, as needed, new NFC-related security specifications

In addition, the Security Technical Working Group considers other topics, such as User Interaction, Identity, Privacy, and Simplicity, to determine what, if any, additional work is necessary to address issues in these areas.

Security Technical Working Group Chair: Open

Compliance Committee

The NFC Forum's Compliance Committee is developing a  product certification program with a consumer recognizable trademark guaranteeing the NFC brand promise of compliance and interoperability. Within its charter are these activities:

• Establishing requirements for the certification program and understand the implication of all NFC Forum requirements on the certification program
• Defining the scope of the NFC Forum certification program
• Defining the rules of practice and procedure (policy) of the NFC Forum certification program
• Defining the process for the NFC Forum certification program

The Compliance Committee has three Working Groups. Compliance Committee Working Group participation is open to all NFC Forum members except Implementer members, with voting rights reserved for designated Sponsor and Principal member representatives, and non-voting status for Associate and Non-profit member representatives.

Compliance Committee Co-Chairs: Matt Ronning, Sony and Henrique Costa, NEC

Compliance Program Working Group

The Compliance Program Working Group works with the Marketing Committee, Technical Committee and other WG of the Compliance Committee to define and manage the NFC Forum certification program. Activities include:

• Defining the rules of practice and procedure for the NFC Forum certification program
• Collaborating with the certification authority and certification program administrator to document the certification process

Compliance Program Working Group Chairs: Gregor Ponert, SKIDATA

Minimum Level of Interoperability Working Group

The Minimum Level of Interoperability Working Group defines the features a device needs to gain the NFC Forum certification mark.  Activities include:

• Providing input to the certification program on features required to maintain the brand promise of the NFC Forum
• Working with the Marketing Committee to determine the brand promise that is being communicated from the NFC Forum
• Working with the Technical Committee to determine how features being specified support the brand promise

Minimum Level of Interoperability Working Group Chair: Hauke Meyn, NXP

Testing Working Group

The Testing Working Group handles interoperability and compliance issues within the NFC Forum. The group's responsibilities include:

• Developing and maintaining the test methodology, concepts, and actual test specifications, as well as processes for compliance testing and approval
• Providing guidance to the other technical working groups
• Working with the technical committee and relevant technical working groups to resolve potential testing conflicts
• Collaborating with test houses to ensure availability of test equipment

Testing Working Group Chair: Sten Wendel, Sony Ericsson