Tuesday, May 12, 2009

NXP propels NFC with world’s first industry standard chip

MUMBAI, INDIA: NXP today unveiled the world’s first truly industry standard Near Field Communication (NFC) controller, delivering a fully compliant platform for handset manufacturers and operators to introduce next generation NFC devices and services.

The new NXP PN544 chip is based on the latest NFC specifications by the European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI) and will enable mobile phone users to access a new range of contactless convenience features such as mobile payments, transport and even ticketing for events such as cricket matches. It will also be possible to share data directly from the mobile phone SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) for improved on-the-go experience.

“In 2008, the GSMA Pay-Buy-Mobile initiative called for full NFC functionality including the standardized Single Wire Protocol (SWP) to be available from mid-2009, therefore we very much welcome the introduction of this fully standard compliant NFC product by NXP,” said Nav Bains, Senior Director Mobile Money, GSM Association.

Using its leadership in NFC technology, NXP has created a solution which is fully compliant with all released NFC specifications on SWP connection with the SIM and the Host Controller Interface (HCI).

In addition, NXP worked closely with leading SIM card manufacturers such as Gemalto, Oberthur Technologies and Giesecke & Devrient to ensure SWP interface interoperability including support for MIFARE technology. The new NFC controller is fully backwards compatible and interoperable with existing contactless infrastructure for payments and ticketing already in place around the world.

“The key to success in this competitive and evolving environment is to innovate technologically and to continuously provide the next experience to the end-user. Our experience of projects using NFC technology in India indicates great potential for the next generation of NFC mobile phones and NFC solutions, and with an NFC mobile ecosystem we have created a solution which will help mobile operators, banks, retailers and services providers to diversify their businesses through new services and add real value to the consumers,” said Ashok Chandak, Senior Director, Global Sales and Marketing, NXP Semiconductors.

To meet the needs of the differing handset manufacturers, the PN544 has been designed to support the three main architectures which are used to secure NFC transactions. Namely, the Secure Element within the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), within an SD card, or within the mobile handset (embedded Secure Element: PN544 plus Smart MX security chip in a pin-to-pin compliant solution).

Other key benefits of the PN544 include:
· Small footprint for size optimization.
· Optimized for low power consumption
· Working in Battery off and Battery Low modes
· MIFARE 1K/4K Reader/writer functionality enabled in host baseband
· Optionally available with an modular, generic and platform independent software stack
· Optimized antenna designs for best-in-class RF performance
· Shorter integration time due to qualified design-in support from NXP

NXP’s PN544 is currently being sampled by a number of major handset manufacturers. Mass availability of the product is targeted during Q3 of 2009 -– at the same time first commercially NFC-enabled handsets are expected to be launched.

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