Near Field Communication Forum

The Near Field Communication Forum was formed 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. Formed in 2004, the Forum now has 140 members. Manufacturers, applications developers, financial services institutions, and more all work together to promote the use of NFC technology in consumer electronics, mobile devices, and PCs.
Goals

The goals of the NFC Forum are to:

* Develop standards-based Near Field Communication specifications that define a modular architecture and interoperability parameters for NFC devices and protocols

* Encourage the development of products using NFC Forum specifications

* Work to ensure that products claiming NFC capabilities comply with NFC Forum specifications

* Educate consumers and enterprises globally about NFC

The NFC Forum provides a highly stable framework for extensive application development, seamless interoperable solutions, and security for NFC-enabled transactions. The NFC Forum has organized the efforts of dozens of member organizations by creating Committees and Working Groups.

In June 2006, only 18 months after its founding, the Forum formally outlined the architecture for NFC technology. As of September 2009, the Forum has released 12 specifications and 2 candidate specifications. The specifications provide a “road map” that enables all interested parties to create powerful new consumer-driven products.