Singapore and Tokyo, 27 July 2009

Toppan Forms Co., Ltd. (Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, CEO: Shu Sakurai), the information management solutions company, together with iWOW Communications Pte Ltd (Singapore, CEO: Chen Jer Yaw) and NXP Semiconductors (The Netherlands, CEO: Rick Clemmer) have begun development of a trial NFC-compatible mobile phone, based on Toshiba's latest Windows Mobile handset, the TG01.

Toppan Forms is a well-established player in the development of applications based on NFC's global standards for short-range wireless communication. One specific area of development has been in the field of mobile phone applications. Toppan Forms has used its know-how in RFID media to adapt the existing miniSD sized NFC module into an even smaller device suitable for mobile phone applications, which require high levels of miniaturization and low power consumption.

The NFC module currently under development uses NXP's PN544 NFC controller, while iWOW, a leading developer of wireless communications solutions with vast experience in NFC technology, is responsible for vital aspects of system level integration involving the hardware, RF and software of the phone. Having developed successful trial deployments of NFC handsets for Telecom operators over the last two years, iWOW's knowledge of the mobile device ecosystem allows them to contribute greatly to the development of this NFC solution.

With regard to commercialization, the companies have plans to use an implementation of the software standardized by the NFC Forum, requiring technical support for both the software and the hardware. NXP's PN544 IC was chosen for this project because it is the world's first NFC chip to be completely compliant with all of the requirements of the NFC Forum, ETSI, and ISO, as well as meeting all of the existing industry standards.

This mobile phone handset has been designed to use a USIM, which will communicate with a secure element in the phone, under the Pay-Buy Mobile standard proposed by GSMA, the GSM promotion organization. Because of this, compatible phones can potentially be used across other networks, enabling payment functionality anywhere in the world. Toppan Forms will use its long-standing expertise in the field of NFC applications to establish some trial applications that will help to build NFC enabled payment services using these phones.

As Toshiba plans its expansion into the global mobile phone market, Toppan Forms is taking advantage of NFC's capabilities as a globally adopted short-range contactless technology to develop an optimized product for the world's mobile phone market. The test phone currently under development will allow Toppan Forms to offer global telecoms operators and network providers with a one-stop environment for NFC related technology, which will ultimately help to drive a new business model for NFC technology's expansion.


About NFC (Near Field Communication: ISO/IEC 18092)

NFC (Near Field Communication) is a wireless technology operating at 13.56 MHz which was jointly developed by NXP Semiconductors, the creator of MIFARE, and Sony Corporation, the maker of FeliCa, for use over short distances. It was accredited by ISO / IEC in 2003 as a global standard for contactless technology.

Basic Specifications of NFC

1. Card emulation - can operate as an IC card, such as "MIFARE" or "FeliCa"
2. Reader / Writer emulation - can be used as a reader / writer for "MIFARE" or "FeliCa"
3. Peer-to-Peer communication - bi-directional communication can be established between two NFC enabled devices without the need for complex pairing. In addition, NFC can be used to establish a connection between devices, which can hand over to faster communication standards such as Bluetooth or WiFi.

For more information:

iWOW Communications Pte Ltd
1 Lorong 2 Toa Payoh #04-01 Yellow Pages Building, 319637, Singapore
TEL: +65 6748 8123
FAX: +65 6748 2668
URL: http://www.iwow.com.sg

NXP Semiconductors
Mark Chisholm (APAC), PR Manager
TEL: +65 6882 5092
URL: http://www.jp.nxp.com

Toppan Forms Co., Ltd., Public Relations Department
1-7-3 Shimbashi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-8311, Japan
TEL: +81-3-6253-5730
FAX: +81-3-6253-5629
URL: http://www.toppan-f.co.jp

For more information about NFC products, visit the URL below
NFC Portal Site: http://www.nfc-world.com



* MIFARE is a registered trademark of NXP Semiconductors
* The company names and products in this release are trademarks of their respective companies.