NFC Forum Welcomes Google to Board of Directors

Association’s Ranks Swell to All-Time High

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that Google has upgraded its NFC Forum membership from Principal to Sponsor level. Ten other organizations have joined the Forum since late November, bringing total membership to a record high of over 180 companies and non-profit groups.

“The NFC Forum – and NFC users everywhere – will benefit greatly from the contributions of Google and our new members from around the world.”

As the top tier of NFC Forum membership, the Sponsor level entitles each organization to a seat on the NFC Forum Board of Directors, the consortium’s governing body. Sponsor members, like Principal members, may designate individuals to run for Forum leadership positions, and may appoint one voting representative to each of the NFC Forum Committees and Working Groups. Other privileges include proposing Forum initiatives and participating in the NFC Forum testing and certification program using their own in-house test labs.

"As both a mobile operating system and NFC payment solution provider, Google brings a great deal of knowledge and experience to our Board," said Koichi Tagawa, NFC Forum Chairman. "The NFC Forum – and NFC users everywhere – will benefit greatly from the contributions of Google and our new members from around the world."

The NFC Forum continues to draw innovative organizations from all regions of the globe to its membership roster, reflecting the growing momentum for the adoption and implementation of NFC technology. The continuing influx of members from hardware and components companies demonstrates the high interest in building new NFC-enabled devices. Member-level upgrades are also evidence of the increasing importance of companies' Forum participation: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. has moved up to Principal level from Associate membership.

New Associate members include:

• Brother Industries, Ltd.
• ROHM Co., Ltd.

Joining as Implementer members are:

• Alps Electric Co., Ltd.
• Castles Technology Co., Ltd.
• Creative Technology Ltd.
• Pulse Finland Oy
• Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
• Schneider Schreibgeräte GmbH
• Shenzhen Netcom Electronics Co., Ltd.
• Sunward Telecom Limited

Any organization with an interest in furthering the development and adoption of NFC technology is encouraged to apply for NFC Forum membership. In addition to its ongoing work via conference calls and online meetings, the NFC Forum holds face-to-face, all-members meetings three times a year to advance NFC initiatives, and to address specifications and other projects under development. The next all-members meeting will take place March 18-22 in Seoul, South Korea.

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 180 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: Broadcom Corporation, Google, Inc., INSIDE Secure, Intel, MasterCard Worldwide, NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Renesas Electronics Corporation, Samsung, Sony Corporation, STMicroelectronics, and Visa Inc.