NXP takes its wraps off the world’s first truly industry-standard Near Field Communication (NFC) controller, known as the NXP PN544. The latest chip claims to offer a complaint platform for mobile phone manufacturers and operators to introduce next generation NFC devices and services.
Based on the latest NFC specifications by the European Telecommunications Standard Institute (ETSI), it promises to allow mobile phone owners to directly access an array of contactless applications that include mobile payments, data sharing, transport and event ticketing from their SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards. This assures an enhanced on-the-go experience.
The PN544 is compatible with the already-available NFC specifications on the Single Wire Protocol (SWP) connection with the SIM and the Host Controller Interface (HCI). Ensuring SWP interface interoperability, it supports the MIFARE technology and is fully backwards compatible and interoperable with existing contactless infrastructure for payments and ticketing that are already accessible worldwide.
According to Chris Feige, General Manager, Near Field Communication, NXP Semiconductors, “NXP co-invented NFC with the aim of putting the mobile phone at the center of the consumer’s world and the launch of this latest NFC chip brings that aim even closer. Through extensive dialog with all players in the NFC mobile ecosystem, we’ve created a solution which will help mobile operators, banks, retailers and services providers to offer new services enabling them to diversify their business and adding real value to the end user.”
It overcomes the generally faced-issues of differing handset manufacturers and holds up to three main architectures that are utilized for secure NFC transactions. This comprises of the Secure Element within the Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), within the SD card and within the mobile handset.
Moreover, the small form-factor chip is optimized for low power consumption and boasts to work even in battery off and battery low modes. It employs antenna designs for best-in-class RF performance and MIFARE 1K/4K Reader/writer functionality enabled in host baseband. It is optionally available with a modular, generic and platform independent software stack and claims to take shorter integration time due to the company’s qualified design-in support.
The NXP PN544 chip is now sampled by various major handset manufacturers and the mass availability is scheduled in Q3 of this year.
