Contactless Smart Cards, RFID, Payment, Transit and Security

NFC Forum launches N-Mark

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

The NFC Forum has unveiled its “target mark,” what its chairman called a “milestone in the global commercialization of NFC technology.” The new N-Mark, introduced during an NFC Forum Web cast today, is designed to show consumers where they need to touch to activate the NFC interaction.

The NFC Forum N-Mark is available to anyone for download free of charge from the NFC Forum Website here, via a click-through license. NFC Forum N-Mark Trademark Usage Guidelines are provided with the N-Mark, and users must follow the guidelines for implementation to ensure global consistency.


Innovision’s Julia Charnock, Marketing Communications Working Group chair for the Forum, said these trademark specs also include the color, a shade of blue. The N-Mark can also appear in black and white, she said.

“The N-mark should be placed in an easily accessible area,” Charnock emphasized during the Web cast.

She also said the Forum “won’t be promoting the N-Mark to consumers. It’s a tool for end users so they’ll be supporting it themselves.”

Within a year, the Forum is slated to issue a certification program along with a certification mark that will have to be added to all devices that pass compliance testing, said Dino Bekis of Broadcom, NFC Forum Compliance Committee co-chair.

“The ability to read information stored on embedded tags is one of NFC’s essential capabilities, which also include enabling contactless payments and file transfers between devices,” said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. “Because it marks the opening of a new world of information to consumers, the launch of the NFC Forum N-Mark is a key milestone in the global commercialization and promotion of NFC technology.” [end] 

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council has published a white paper examining how the transit industry can best make use of NFC technology.

“One of the major challenges facing transit agencies today is how to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of mobile phones with a solid mobile strategy,” said Transportation Council Chairman Craig Roberts. “This white paper builds on the knowledge base developed in earlier white papers to foster a greater understanding of NFC technology, explain its role in the transit industry, and shed light on key issues facing the transit industry in developing a mobile strategy.”

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The NFC Forum has announced that Intel Corporation has upgraded its membership from Principal to Sponsor, the highest level of membership in the organization.

As a Sponsor member, Intel will hold a seat on the NFC Forum Board of Directors, as well designate individuals to run for Forum leadership positions and appoint one voting representative to all NFC Forum Committees and Working Groups.

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The Auriemma Consulting Group (ACG) has announced the launch of its new Mobile Payments Report, a market research service that examines the mobile phone as a payments device, financial managing tool, marketing channel and as a method of engaging with consumers.

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India transport operator Ahmedabad Janmarg Ltd. has launched a smart transit card for commuters traveling on the region’s bus system, according to ISO&Agent.

The agency began a six-month trial and August 2010 followed by a soft and silent launch in January 2012. The card is available now for a nonrefundable fee of 25 rupees ($.50 US cents) and allows commuters to travel for up to 100 minutes on one bus, for the minimum fare.

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UK-regional bus group Bluestar has launched a new transit card for discounted weekly and monthly travel on its network, according to Southern Daily Echo.

The new card enables cashless fare for any service on the Bluestar Network in Southampton, Eastleigh and Winchester. It also supports travel on Wilts & Dorset buses and Southern Vectis on the Isle of Wight, both of which are owned and operated by Go-Ahead Group.

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The NFC Forum has announced that it will host a Solutions Showcase following its Members Meeting in Frankfurt, Germany on Feb. 8.

This inaugural event will see six NFC Forum member companies demonstrating their NFC-enabled products and services. Presentations will include:

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