Q&A: What does IEC recognition mean for NFC Forum?

Michael Stark, Vice Chair of the NFC Forum Board of Directors, Jacob Babcock, NFC Forum Board Member, and Arnaud Schreiner, Chair of the NFC Forum Compliance Committee

Two NFC Forum Specifications – the NFC Wireless Charging Specification and NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) Technical Specification – have been formally adopted as global standards by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

Michael Stark (MS), Jacob Babcock (JB) and Arnaud Schreiner (AS) share their thoughts on what this milestone means for the NFC Forum, its community and the wider NFC marketplace.

1. What does IEC recognition mean for NFC Forum?

MS: The IEC prepares and publishes international standards for all electrical, electronic and related technologies. This provides a technical framework which provides assurance to governments, supranational organizations, companies and users that the products they buy and sell will be consistently safe and reliable.

The formal recognition of the NFC Forum Wireless Charging and NDEF Technical Specifications by the IEC is therefore a major milestone for the NFC Forum. It elevates the specifications beyond global industry adoption to be formally recognized by governments, supranational organizations, regulatory bodies. This enables the usage of compliant NFC technologies in line with government and regulatory needs, which in turn has the potential to reduce market fragmentation, accelerate time-to-market for products that are already NFC Forum-compliant. It also creates an opportunity to build a stronger foundation for interoperability across the entire NFC ecosystem.

JB: More broadly, the transition of NFC Forum Specifications from industry adopted to globally recognized standards will allow more companies to discover NFC Forum Specifications, encourage implementation of NFC Forum-certified products in technology roadmaps and support usage of high-volume, long lifecycle NFC products.

This is thanks to the long-term certainty provided by IEC recognition that NFC Wireless Charging technology will continue to scale, evolve and be supported globally. It brings a high level of confidence for product leaders and reduces investment risk for highly integrated NFC Wireless Charging solutions, including for companies planning globally distributed NFC products with multi-year roadmaps.

2. What was the process for the specifications to be adopted by the IEC?

AS: Both specifications went through the IEC’s rigorous review process, which includes multiple rounds of technical review and formal voting by national committees representing countries around the world. Neither specification was required to undergo any technical changes to be adopted as global standards, reflecting broad unanimous international consensus that the specifications are technically precise, openly developed, testable, and governed through a trusted process.

3. How does IEC adoption of the NFC Wireless Charging Specification impact the wireless charging market?

JB: For wireless charging, there is no one-size-fits-all technology or a single standard that will work seamlessly across all form factors. The market requires multiple solutions to meet the unique demands of different devices’ technical parameters, such as product design, maximum charging wattage and battery size. The IEC recognition can help to broaden market understanding of the multiple standards available for wireless charging and highlight where NFC Wireless Charging may be the best fit for their use case – especially given the specification is the only IEC recognized standard for small, low power devices.

4. What are the specific devices classes that NFC Wireless Charging supports?

AS: The NFC Wireless Charging Specification and its accompanying NFC Certification Program provides the industry with a standardized framework for wireless charging that is optimal for smaller devices. This is due to the single antenna in an NFC-enabled device being able to manage both communications and charging, allowing for the design of smaller, lighter and more affordable wireless products. These devices include wireless earbuds, smart glasses, digital stylus pens, headsets, fitness trackers and other consumer products, including emerging devices for which it is yet to be determined which wireless charging technology is the best choice for their requirements.

There are several types of wireless charging technologies on the market today, but the one most widely implemented is inductive charging. This is a mature, deeply tested, and globally deployed technology and NFC is built on the same induction coupling principles to enable both data and power transfer. As such, NFC stands as the most reliable and widely adopted inductive communication method in the world and NFC Wireless Charging is a low-power extension of this.

JB: I would also add that having devices that operate seamlessly and reliably with other compliant products is especially critical for wireless charging. Incompatible components could risk damage to device circuitry or batteries, so the protection of both devices and users is paramount.

5. Speaking more specifically about the NDEF Technical Specification, what does IEC recognition signify for the NFC community?

AS: Adoption by the IEC gives global device makers, solution providers, and regulators confidence that NFC data interactions are built on a technically robust, interoperable, and internationally agreed framework.

Just like the acknowledgement of our wireless charging activity, recognition as an IEC global standard reinforces the NDEF Technical Specification’s central role in NFC innovation. This is due to it defining how information is structured, encoded and interpreted, acting as the foundation for how data is exchanged across countless use cases.

In the wireless charging context, for example, the NFC Wireless Charging Specification and NDEF Technical Specification complement each other by enabling two devices to exchange the required information to safely set up and manage charging, before power transfer occurs.

6. Does this change how NFC Forum Standards are view in a regulator context?

MS: Yes. While NFC Forum’s technical framework is globally adopted to create a robust foundation for the NFC industry, this latest development strengthens the relevance of NFC technology from a regulatory perspective – especially in light of recent European Union initiatives. Examples of this include the Common Charging Directive, the incoming Digital Product Passport regulation, and other sustainability conversations where standardization of technology plays an important role to improve consumer convenience, avoid market fragmentation and reduce environmental waste.

7. Are there any other plans to progress NFC Forum Specification as IEC Standards?

MS: There are no NFC Forum Specifications currently undergoing review to become an IEC Standard, however, we remain committed to developing new industry standards that align with the needs of various markets and use cases. We will also continue to liaise with the IEC on any updates to the WLC and NDEF Specifications, so that this can be reflected in the published IEC standards.

We understand and embrace the value of cross-industry collaboration, and the NFC Forum partners with a growing number of other technology organizations such as ISO, EMVCo, the Car Connectivity Consortium, Connectivity Standards Alliance and the Wireless Power Consortium. These liaisons have resulted in specifications, white papers, market requirements, and an increasing number of associations are also mandating NFC Forum Standards as part of their own certification programs.

Organizations interested in a liaison with the NFC Forum are always welcome to get in touch and see how we can work together to improve the NFC experience for our industry, consumers and society as a whole.

Do you have products that could benefit from using NFC Forum’s Wireless Charging and NDEF Technical Specifications? Please visit our website.