NFC Forum

Ruth Cassidy NFC Forum Public Relations Phone: +1 781-876-6239 Email Ruth Cassidy

For release: 21 May 2012

NFC Forum Chairman Koichi Tagawa to Deliver Opening Keynote at NFC Solutions Summit, May 22

NFC Forum Track on May 23 Will Highlight the State of the Technology; Forum Chairman Will Also Address NFC Meetup Group May 23

WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA - May 21, 2012 - The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, announced that Forum Chairman Koichi Tagawa will be the opening keynote speaker May 22 at the NFC Solutions Summit taking place in Burlingame, California. Mr. Tagawa will address the plenary attendees on the topic "NFC Momentum: Beyond the Killer App."

The NFC Solutions Summit, May 22-24, is a comprehensive North American showcase for the high-growth NFC technology, and it is jointly presented by the NFC Forum and the Smart Card Alliance. At the event, industry leaders will come together to discuss a broad range of uses for NFC-enabled devices in both payment and non-payment applications, and during the unique "open conference" final day, attendees will present their own mini-sessions on any NFC-related topics.

The NFC Forum is also presenting a special conference track at the Summit on May 23, entitled "State of the Technology." The sessions, which open the NFC Technology Track, will be hosted by NFC Forum Director Debbie Arnold, who will moderate a Q&A session at the end of the track. The presentations include:

• "NFC Forum: Furthering the Adoption and Use of NFC" -- Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum and Sony Corporation
• "NFC Forum: Putting NFC Forum Specifications to Work" -- Gavin Shenker, Visa Inc.
• "State of the NFC Market" -- Jeff Miles, NXP Semiconductors

In addition to the NFC Forum speakers, a number of Forum member companies are involved in the NFC Solutions Summit as exhibitors and sponsors, and even more member organizations have sent attendees to the conference.
"This is an exciting time for NFC technology, with commercial rollouts increasing and many more NFC-enabled devices hitting the market," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "We are pleased to partner with the Smart Card Alliance on this high-profile event. It provides a great opportunity for us to bring everyone up to date on the proliferation and diversity of new NFC solutions for both consumers and businesses around the world."

"Organizing the event in cooperation with the NFC Forum was a great decision," said Randy Vanderhoof, Executive Director of the Smart Card Alliance and Conference Chairman. "Our goal of balancing the technical aspects of the NFC marketplace with a wide variety of business solutions that are emerging in North America was achieved by having the NFC Forum partnering with us."

Further demonstrating the high level of interest in NFC, a recently established NFC Meetup group is hosting a panel discussion during the NFC Solutions Summit, in which Mr. Tagawa will also participate. He will discuss the status of NFC implementation in Japan, and the importance of standards for successful adoption worldwide. The panel takes place May 23, 6-8 p.m., at the Burlingame Hyatt.

About Near Field Communication Technology
NFC technology makes life easier and more convenient for consumers around the world by making it simpler to make transactions, exchange digital content, and connect electronic devices with a touch.
A standards-based connectivity technology, NFC harmonizes today's diverse contactless technologies, enabling current and future solutions in areas such as access control, consumer electronics, healthcare, information collection and exchange, loyalty and coupons, payments, and transport.

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 160+ 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, which hold seats on the Board of Directors, include leading players in key industries around the world. The Sponsor members are: Barclaycard, Broadcom Corporation, INSIDE Secure, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.