2008 07 - ss - near field communicationDocument Transcript
Near Field Communications
Near Field Communication (NFC), is an RF‐ID based, short‐range and high frequency wireless
communication technology which enables data exchange between devices less than about 4
The technology is a simple extension of the ISO 14443 proximity‐card standard (contactless card,
RFID) that combines the interface of a smartcard and a reader into a single device. An NFC device can
communicate with both existing ISO 14443 smartcards and readers, as well as with other NFC
devices, and is thereby compatible with existing contactless infrastructure already in use for public
transportation and payment.
NFC technology is currently mainly aimed at being used with mobile phones. There are three main
use cases for NFC:
card emulation: the NFC device behaves like an existing contactless card
reader mode: the NFC device is active and read a passive RFID tag, for example for interactive
P2P mode: two NFC devices are communicating together and exchanging information.
• Mobile ticketing in public transport (Card Emulation)
• Mobile payment (Card Emulation, Visa and Mastercard)
• Smart poster (Reader Mode)
• Electronic ticketing (Card Emulation)
• Electronic money (P2P Mode)
• Identity documents (Card Emulation)
• Mobile commerce
• Electronic keys
• NFC can be used to configure and initiate other wireless network connections such as Bluetooth,
Wi‐Fi or Ultra‐wideband.
NFC For Developers
To make an NFC‐enabled world a reality, the NFC Forum will help developers with vision and
determination build the infrastructure that will drive acceptance of NFC technology in the
marketplace. We can offer you support if you are an implementer of NFC technology, or if you are an
application developer or integrator of NFC technology.
See our Developers FAQs for answers to your initial questions about starting an NFC development
If your company will be implementing NFC Forum specifications, join the NFC Forum! As a Forum
member, you will have access to the specifications while they are still under development. When you
join, you can participate in the NFC Developers Working Group, which will help you to understand
and implement the specifications and develop interoperable and well‐designed products.
Our goal is to become an important resource for NFC developers, providing you with the tools you
need to succeed. We plan to add information, links and resources to this site for those involved in
bringing new NFC‐based products, services and applications to market around the world. As our
detailed NFC Forum specifications are released, we will add supporting information to help you
create truly interoperable products.
To join our developers mailing list, please send a message to developers@nfc‐forum.org.
NFC Technology for Developers
Information is coming soon about the following areas.
Components Chipsets, protocols and modules that allow OEMs to integrate NFC functionality in
Tags NFC Tags are available in many form factors, with different memory capacity and
Devices NFC Devices inlcude mobile phones, reader/writers and more.
SDKs NFC Software Development Kits (SDKs) will be available for software developers.
Solutions Information on solutions for transport, banking and network operators, and
integrators. This includes support for applications such as payment and mobile
wallets, ticketing (transport and leisure), couponing and loyalty, tracing and tracking,
security and more.
Services Services are available for:
Deploying NFC applications on mobile phones (Trusted Service Managers)
NFC Certification and Testing