The Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC) has announced that its CCC Digital Key Certification is now available to its members for Near-Field Communication (NFC) implementation.
The CCC is an industry group working to streamline the standardization and interoperability of digital key technologies, and includes both major automotive OEMs (such as BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, and Mercedes-Benz) and consumer electronics players (including Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi) as members. Through its new certification program, CCC members will be able to certify their NFC-based digital keys against the consortium’s standards. The certification itself will work to build trust among consumers and the industry, with the CCC Digital Key aiming to provide a global standard for interoperability. This interoperability will, in turn, allow automakers and electronic device manufacturers to deliver secure user-friendly experiences for their own digital key systems.
For automotive OEMs and electronic consumer companies, the CCC Digital Key Certification offers several benefits. Here, the certification will provide products with an enhanced sense of credibility that works to instill trust among consumers, partners, and stakeholders. Likewise, its interoperability will help establish global compatibility with various products and services – ensuring customers benefit from a seamless experience when using the CCC Digital Key, regardless of the car or device at the center of this experience.
The CCC has also highlighted the certification’s logo as another benefit. Once a product has been certified by the consortium, having met its safety, security and interoperability standards, the logo can be deployed on the product itself, as well as the manuals, marketing materials, and websites produced by the manufacturer responsible for it. Its inclusion across these areas works to identify to customers and industries that the product meets the CCC’s industry and program standards.
Following the announcement of its new certification, the consortium and its members will continue testing and standardizing at the CCC Digital Key End-to-End PlugFest event in Palo Alto, CA.
While the certification is only intended for devices that leverage NFC, the CCC recently formed a working group with the FiRa Consortium – a non-profit supporting ultra wideband (UWB) – that includes members such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and Qualcomm. Through this collaboration, the two groups are looking to develop similar certification processes for the UWB and Bluetooth Low Energy frequencies.