INSIDE Secure announces PicoPulse NFC “booster chip

FRANCE: INSIDE Secure announced the PicoPulse NFC “booster chip, which enables manufacturers to fit all components of an NFC card emulation and peer-to-peer mode solution into a standard SIM form factor.

The INSIDE PicoPulse NFC RF front-end booster chip is provided with the INSIDE high-performance VaultSEcure hardware solution secure element to support NFC-compliant card emulation and peer-to-peer operation for SIM and other form factors.

SIM cards based on the PicoPulse chip can be plugged into current mobile phones, tablets and other mobile devices to cost-effectively transform them with the power of NFC functionality to enable more people to engage in mobile payment, transport, access control and other secure transactions.

“SIM cards enhanced with our breakthrough PicoPulse chip offer a compact, cost-effective solution that mobile operators and other service providers can use to boost the deployment of devices that can be used for EMVco-compliant NFC mobile payments and other services, complementing NFC smartphone deployments,” said Pierre Garnier, executive VP of the NFC and Secure Payment Divisions at INSIDE Secure.

"INSIDE Secure has again demonstrated its leadership in the NFC market by being first to offer a solution that puts NFC card emulation, including antenna, into a standard SIM card and have it perform up to industry standards when inserted into a mobile device.”

The innovative PicoPulse chip significantly reduces the effects of the metals and electrical noise typically found within mobile phones and other mobile devices, enabling the INSIDE solution to use an antenna that measures a 10 x 5 mm, yet still achieve industry-standard transaction performance, even when the SIM card is inserted in devices under or beside the battery.

 The VaultSEcure chip is EMVCo IC certified and Common Criteria EAL5+ targeted.

The INSIDE PicoPulse and VaultSEcure chips are complemented by a complete reference design OEMs can use to create SIM, microSD and other format solutions.