NFC Release 15 is now available, extending the range of certified compliant NFC contactless connections up to 2cm – 4x greater than the current range of 0.5cm,
This expansion will support faster, more reliable contactless interactions across a growing number of use cases such as wireless charging, kitchen appliances, wearables, and digital keys, according to representatives at NFC Forum, the global standards body for NFC technology. NFC Forum Associate, Principal, and Sponsor-level member companies can download the Technical Specifications included in NFC Release 15. Adopter-level members and the public can access and begin certifying compliance to NFC Release 15 in Fall 2025.
NFC Release 15 extends the range— or operating volume— of NFC contactless interactions, resulting in connections starting sooner and require less precise device alignment. Contactless connections will be more seamless, while retaining the critical need for user intent.
Plan Priority
Mike McCamon, Executive Director of NFC Forum, said extending the range of NFC contactless connections was a key priority outlined in the NFC Forum Five-Year Roadmap, seeking to meet changing market needs and deliver faster, easier transactions across all NFC enabled devices.
“Many markets are set to benefit from extended range, with consumers set to gain the most through an enhanced user experience,” said McCamon in a statement. “Redefining the baseline for contactless connections, NFC Release 15 is expected to advance new and exciting use cases, such as using your mobile phone as a payment terminal, as well as optimize NFC usability across a variety of sectors, including automotive, transit and access control.”
Road to Sustainability
With a board made up of representatives from Apple, Google, Huawei, Identiv, Infineon, NXP, Sony, and ST Microelectronics, NFC Forum works to deliver seamless, secure contactless interactions to users. This is achieved by accordance to the forum’s specifications that is focused on intuitive, reliable and consistent experiences.
Officials noted NFC Release 15 is the latest step to its commitment to sustainability, one of the focuses is support for the Digital Product Passport Standard (DPP). The standard gives brand and product teams a flexible, data agnostic framework to allow a single NFC tag embedded in a product to store and transmit both standard and extended DPP data using common NFC Data Exchange Format (NDEF) records.
NFC Release 15 will therefore help to ensure reliability, interoperability, and compatibility across all NFC devices used for the DPP, throughout a product’s entire lifecycle, said McCamon.
“NFC technology makes our lives more convenient, secure and connected every single day. NFC Release 15 will continue to extend contactless simplicity into an ever-expanding list of use cases – including sustainability – and redefine the baseline for performance standards,” he said.“NFC Forum is committed to helping organizations deliver secure, reliable and convenient proximity-based connections, driven by user intent.”
“Through NFC Release 15, we are proud to enable these NFC interactions as the technology, its applications and ability to drive a more connected, sustainable future show no signs of slowing.”