For release: 23 Mar 2009
NFC Forum and ETSI Create Partnership to Promote Global Interoperability
Relationship will foster development and growth of NFC solutions
WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA - March 23, 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 a Memorandum of Understanding between the Forum and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). Under the terms of the agreement, the NFC Forum and ETSI will align their activities to help the NFC community to implement solutions that comply with NFC-related specifications developed by both organizations.
ETSI develops globally-applicable standards for many different Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Among these are standards for smart cards for mobile communications and other applications, standards for close range inductive data communications and for a variety of short range devices.
The work of the two organizations intersects at the point where specifications and standards development come together. The agreement ensures a high level of alignment between the two organizations.
"When industry associations work hand-in-hand with standards bodies, it assures solutions providers that their products and services will reach the broadest possible market and work effectively around the world," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "ETSI is one of the world's premier standards bodies and we are pleased to partner with them."
ETSI's Director-General, Walter Weigel, declared, "ETSI is committed to ensure global interoperability and avoid duplication of work. Hence, I am very happy about this MoU with the NFC Forum and I am confident that this collaboration will lead to many benefits for the industry and end users."
As the NFC Forum and ETSI prepare to release additional specifications, the relationship will aid the coordination of activities related to testing and product certification. The agreement will also enable the two organizations to exchange questions and answers regarding each other's work and to better coordinate future endeavors.
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, 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 150 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: HP, INSIDE Contactless, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation, and Visa Inc.
About ETSI
ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio, converged, broadcast and internet technologies and is officially recognized by the European Commission as a European Standards Organization. ETSI is a not-for-profit organization whose 720+ member companies and organizations, from 62 countries across 5 continents worldwide, determine its work programme and participate directly in its technical activities. . For more information, please visit: http://www.etsi.org.
