The NFC Forum, a trade association promoting near field communication technology, has announced the formation of special interest groups to address the application of NFC to several vertical industries: consumer electronics, health care, payment, retail, and transportation. The hope is that by combining the efforts of stakeholders in key markets where NFC can play a significant role, the SIGs will enable the NFC Forum to take a more active role in pushing the development and adoption of NFC, the group said.

"As the commercialization of NFC solutions grows, we see an increasing need in the marketplace for education, guidance, and support for market implementation," said Koichi Tagawa, chairman of the NFC Forum, in an announcement. "By helping us focus our efforts and expertise on the specific needs of key market sectors, the SIGs will enable the NFC Forum to facilitate and accelerate the delivery of exciting new NFC solutions to consumers."

Often considered a technology for mobile payments, NFC offers solutions and use cases that go beyond making payments possible at the point of sale. The new SIGs from the NFC Forum will leverage its alliance partners to bring together top experts, member companies, and NFC solutions developers to create programs to support the needs of various industries, the group said.

The NFC Forum said the creation of SIGs builds on the organization's progress and demonstrates the growing momentum of NFC. 

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