NFC controller

18 April 2012 Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT

STMicroelectronics has unveiled its second-generation near field communications (NFC) controller. The new IC, in combination with ST’s wide Secure Element portfolio, is aimed at speeding the arrival of a new world of secure contactless apps and services accessible through next-generation smartphones.

Near field communication allows smartphones and other mobile appliances to connect wirelessly over a wide range of contactless cards and devices. Mobile payment is acknowledged as a major near-term application for the technology; transactions made using NFC will exceed $30 billion globally in 2012, according to Juniper Research. With support for reader/writer, peer-to-peer and card-emulation modes, NFC can be used to deliver many additional innovative services and personalised marketing messages through customers’ smartphones.

ST’s new NFC controller IC, the ST21NFCA, supports all NFC use cases, and is able to coordinate multiple NFC secure apps stored in several secure locations, such as the SWP-SIM and SWP-microSD Card or Embedded Secure Element. The corresponding NFC software stack, running on the terminal host, supports all Google Android versions, including the latest Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, and will also be available for forthcoming Microsoft Windows 8 OS. The controller is perfectly compatible with the wide choice of ST Secure Elements.

ST’s Secure Element product range is based on the secure ARM SC300 32-bit core, and offers a wide choice of embedded Flash sizes, ranging from 512 KB to 1,2 MB; it meets all the latest EMVCo and Common Criteria EAL5+ security certifications. Such performance satisfies today’s most advanced Java Card 3.0.1 and Global Platform GP2.2 secure operating systems, which enable shared access to a Secure Element by various service providers.

These Secure Element ICs can be used in all possible form factors, covering SWP-SIM, SWP-MicroSD, Embedded Secure Element and an advanced system-in-package solution that stacks the Secure Element together with the NFC controller.

The entire STMicroelectronics Secure Element portfolio comes with optional support for MIFARE Classic and MIFARE DESFire technologies, which allows customers to comply safely with the most popular transportation and ticketing scheme worldwide.

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