Sharp, HTC and ZTE learn the NFC Forum secret handshake

Dentsu and Sequent Become Principal Members, 26 More Join at Lower Levels

WAKEFIELD, Mass., USA – Oct. 12, 2011 – The NFC Forum, a non-profit industry association that advances using Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that Barclaycard, a number one global payment business it’s portion of Barclays, has become a Sponsor member of the organization. Sponsor membership is the very best level, and its privileges include a seat at the NFC Forum Board of Directors, which governs the organization.

Dentsu Inc., the world’s largest advertising agency, and Sequent Software, a number one provider of software for NFC payments for mobile devices, have joined the organization as Principal members, the second one-highest level of membership. The NFC Forum, founded in 2004, continues to draw innovative organizations in all regions of the globe to its membership ranks in every category, demonstrating the rising tide of interest in implementing Near Field Communication technology.

Sponsor members may designate individuals to run for positions as officers of the Forum. Each Sponsor and Principal member is entitled to nominate a voting representative to every of the Technical, Marketing, and Compliance Committees and dealing Groups. Sponsor and Principal members may designate individuals to run for positions leading Committees or Working Groups, and both Sponsor and Principal member organizations may propose initiatives and contribute to the advance of Forum deliverables. Members at these levels can also perform the NFC Forum testing and certification program using their very own in-house test labs.

Moreover, the NFC Forum recently welcomed 26 new Associate, Implementer, and Non-Profit members from around the NFC ecosystem. New Associate members include:

AgreeYa Mobility Pte. Ltd.

Avery Dennison RFID

Bureau Veritas ADT

C-SAM

Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc.

Ixxi

Korea Smart Card Co., Ltd.

Raisonance SAS

RECRUIT

Sharp Corporation

XAC Automation Corporation

ZTE Corporation

New Implementer members are:

Datang Telecom Technology Co., Ltd.

HTC Corporation

Isis (JVL Ventures LLC)

Novatec Solutions, Inc.

I/O Interconnect

OBOPAY, Inc.

Posiflex Technology, Inc.

Proxama Ltd

Sunward Telecom

TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited

TIMWE

UPM RFID

VITEC Co., Ltd.

Technology Research Center Henan Province has also joined as a Non-Profit member.

“Our newest members demonstrate the broad appeal of the work of the NFC Forum, and the range of sectors which are represented emphasizes the price NFC technology delivers to businesses and consumers,” said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. “We’re pleased to welcome these new organizations’ participation in our work, and their contributions to the worldwide NFC ecosystem. We’re especially gratified that Barclaycard recognizes the leadership role of the Forum as demonstrated by their joining on the highest membership level.”

“i think that NFC is key to the way forward for payments and the broader mobile experience,” said Val Soranno Keating, CEO, Barclaycard. “We’ve been the leader of the UK’s contactless payments market since launching the primary cards and merchant terminals in September 2007. Greater than four out of 5 cards and a fair higher percentage of terminals are still supplied by Barclays. Having established the infrastructure, we will be able to now offer customers choice within the way they pay and, in partnership with a mobile operator, we introduced the UK’s first payment-enabled cellular phone this summer. We’re also working within the U.S. and Africa to bring the benefit of contactless payments to consumers and retailers. I’m delighted that we’re joining the NFC Forum, and that i watch for Barclaycard playing a central role within the advance of this crucial technology. “