The News

Inside Contactless joins NFC forum board of directors

23/12/2008

Joins Elite Group of Sponsor Members to Help Advance Use of NFC Technology

AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, December 23rd, 2008 – INSIDE Contactless, the world leader in advanced open-standard contactless chip technologies, today announced the company has become a Sponsor member of the NFC Forum, the highest level of membership in the organization, and joined its board of directors.  As a Sponsor member, INSIDE Contactless joins an elite corps of representatives from industries across all layers of the NFC ecosystem in advancing the adoption and implementation of near field communication (NFC) technology.

“INSIDE Contactless has a long played a leading role in NFC technology innovation, including the ownership of several essential NFC patents, and has been an active member of the NFC Forum since its first meeting, helping develop this standard and all the protocols,” said Philippe Martineau, executive vice president of INSIDE’s NFC business line.  “We look forward to working with the other board members in developing specifications, ensuring interoperability among devices and services and educating the market about NFC technology.”

Formerly a Principal member, INSIDE Contactless now joins fellow Sponsor members HP, MasterCard Worldwide, Microsoft Corp., NEC, Nokia, NTT DOCOMO, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, Panasonic, Renesas Technology, Samsung, Sony Corporation and Visa, Inc. 
INSIDE was instrumental in developing the ETSI NFC standard, working with other industry leaders to co-author the specification.  Its third-generation MicroRead® multi-standard NFC solution embeds the most advanced feature set in a single chip, and is already in use by major tier-1 handset makers, and was chosen as the supplier of NFC components for the GSMA’s Pay Buy Mobile initiative.

“We are pleased to have INSIDE Contactless join our board of directors and apply their pioneering insights and expertise to advance our vision,” said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum.  “I look forward to working with INSIDE Contactless and our other Sponsor members in achieving our goals to further enrich the global NFC ecosystem.”

Since its founding in 2004, the NFC Forum has drawn market-leading organizations from around the world to its membership roster as momentum builds for the adoption and implementation of Near Field Communication technology.  Sponsor membership is the highest level of membership in the NFC Forum, with each Sponsor member occupying a seat on the organization's Board of Directors and gaining the right to designate individuals to run for offices.

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 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.