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 the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that Barclaycard, a leading global payment business that is part of Barclays, has become a Sponsor member of the organization. Sponsor membership is the highest level, and its privileges include a seat on the NFC Forum Board of Directors, which governs the organization.

Dentsu Inc., the world's largest advertising agency, and Sequent Software, a leading provider of software for NFC payments for mobile devices, have joined the organization as Principal members, the second-highest level of membership. The NFC Forum, founded in 2004, continues to attract 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 appoint a voting representative to each of the Technical, Marketing, and Compliance Committees and Working 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 development of Forum deliverables. Members at these levels may also participate in the NFC Forum testing and certification program using their own in-house test labs.

In addition, the NFC Forum recently welcomed 26 new Associate, Implementer, and Non-Profit members from across 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 variety of sectors that are represented emphasizes the value NFC technology can provide to businesses and consumers," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum. "We are pleased to welcome these new organizations' participation in our work, and their contributions to the global NFC ecosystem. We are especially gratified that Barclaycard recognizes the leadership role of the Forum as demonstrated by their joining at the highest membership level."

"I believe that NFC is fundamental to the future of payments and the wider mobile experience," said Val Soranno Keating, CEO, Barclaycard. "We've been the leader of the UK's contactless payments market since launching the first cards and merchant terminals in September 2007. More than four out of five cards and an even higher percentage of terminals are still supplied by Barclays. Having established the infrastructure, we can now offer customers choice in the way they pay and, in partnership with a mobile operator, we introduced the UK's first payment-enabled mobile phone this summer. We're also working in the U.S. and Africa to bring the convenience of contactless payments to consumers and retailers. I'm delighted that we are joining the NFC Forum, and I look forward to Barclaycard playing a central role in the advance of this important technology. "