The NFC Forum, the global standards and advocacy association for Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, has announced a Wireless Charging Candidate Technical Specification (WLC) that makes it possible to wirelessly charge NFC-enabled devices at a power transfer rate of up to one watt.

The WLC enables a single antenna in the NFC-enabled device to manage both communications and charging. This solution makes it easier and more convenient to charge low-power IoT devices such as smart watches, fitness trackers, headsets and other consumer devices, according to Paula Hunter, executive director, NFC Forum. The WLC was published as a candidate specification allowing the industry to review the document before this specification is validated by the NFC Forum. 

This NFC specification uses the 13.56 MHz base frequency and leverages the NFC communication link to control the power transfer. Hunter says the WLC specification ensures a safe charging process between two NFC-enabled devices in either static or negotiated modes.  

Static mode uses standard radio frequency (RF) field strength and provides a consistent power level. Negotiated mode uses a higher RF field supporting four power transfer classes of 250, 500, 750 and 1000 milliwatts.