For release: 21 Sep 2009
NFC Forum Advances Mission at All-Members Meeting in Finland
Oulu Event Marks Progress in Specification Validation, Interoperability and Compliance Testing
Wakefield, Mass., USA - September 21, 2009 - The NFC Forum (http://www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced accomplishments from its recent all-members meeting in Oulu, Finland. Highlights of the event, which took place from August 29-September 6, included: a Plugfest at which NFC Forum member companies successfully tested the interoperability of their technologies with those of their peers; a validation test of the Forum's Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP) candidate specification; a well-attended Spotlight Session for Developers; and the selection of two test tool vendors, AT4 wireless and Integri, to partner with the Forum in developing compliance testing equipment. Representatives from 150 NFC Forum member companies gathered at the face-to-face meeting in Oulu.
NFC Forum Plugfest
The fifth NFC Forum Plugfest focused on Radio Frequency (RF) testing using ISO-based test tools and Digital Protocol (DP) testing using certification test cases implemented in prospective conformance test tools. Fourteen NFC Forum member companies participated in the event with nine devices, three ISO-based RF test tools, three NFC Forum digital protocol test tools and four prototype reference tools. More than 30 RF and 10 DP test sessions were scheduled and executed over the three days with device-to-device testing conducted in parallel on an informal basis. Approximately 15 ISO-based RF test cases and 40 DP test cases were executed during the test sessions.
LLCP Validation Testing
The NFC Forum held a test session to validate the NFC Logical Link Control Protocol (LLCP) candidate technical specification with the objective of identifying any issues that could adversely impact interoperability before formal adoption of the specification. The LLCP specification defines a protocol to support peer-to-peer communication between two NFC-enabled devices. This is essential for any NFC applications that involve bi-directional communications. Interoperability was demonstrated in three independent implementations, passing 46 out of 48 executable scenarios. The overall conclusion was that LLCP functionality can be implemented and will interoperate based on the LLCP candidate specification. The NFC LLCP candidate specification is available to the public for download at no charge at the NFC Forum Web site: www.nfc-forum.org/specs/.
Spotlight Session for Developers
The NFC Forum hosted its second in a series of Spotlight Sessions in Oulu, this time dedicated to the developer community of the NFC ecosystem. Nearly 100 attendees from as far away as South Africa engaged in open dialogue with NFC experts who discussed use cases, projects around the world and the state of NFC specifications and compliance efforts. Presentations from the Spotlight Session are available at: www.nfc-forum.org/resources/presentations. The next Spotlight Session will be held during the upcoming NFC Forum all-members meeting, December 7-11, in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Gold sponsors of the Spotlight Session were Sony Corporation, Innovision Research & Technology plc and INSIDE Contactless; the Silver Sponsor was Hansaprint; and the meal sponsor was WIMA.
Selection of Test Tool Vendors AT4 wireless and Integri
The NFC Forum Compliance Committee selected two test tool vendors, AT4 wireless and Integri, to partner with the Forum to develop equipment for compliance testing to the NFC Forum specifications. The vendors were invited to collaborate with the NFC Forum to develop test tools as part of the ongoing work to establish its Certification Program. A comprehensive evaluation process was followed to identify qualified partners. The NFC Forum will provide limited financial assistance to the selected partners to have their test tool implementations validated by an independent test laboratory. All test equipment successfully validated using the NFC Forum test tool validation process will be eligible for use in the Certification Program.
"This has been a very productive time for the NFC Forum, with a Plugfest that achieved high scores for interoperability, the successful validation of the LLCP candidate specification and the selection of our two compliance testing tool partners, AT4 wireless and Integri," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "We were also very pleased with the large turnout at our second NFC Spotlight Session. These developments will help ensure global interoperability, increase the momentum behind NFC and accelerate more commercial deployments."
About Near Field Communication Technology
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way interactions between 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 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, 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 140 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: Innovision Research & Technology plc, INSIDE Contactless, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics and Visa Inc.
