The collaborative effort will see the companies developing SIM products for Single Wire Protocol-based (SWP) solutions. They hope to ensure interoperability with MIFARE technology as well as other widely-deployed contactless protocols.
Gemalto said they think the agreement will rapidly address the growing demand for NFC-based applications among telecom operators, service providers and consumers.
The joint venture aims to standardise SIM-based NFC products whilst speeding up the availability of SIM-based NFC phones that meet telecom operators’ requirements.
“As co-inventor of NFC, NXP is committed to further broadening and strengthening the ecosystem along with other key industry players”, said Christophe Duverne, General Manager of Identification at NXP Semiconductors.
“We expect a significant proportion of NFC mobile phones to use the SIM as the secure element. Through our collaboration with Gemalto, we will define and support a common standard that is fully compliant with the existing contactless infrastructure, leveraging the expertise of our two companies in NFC, MIFARE and SIM. We are confident this will provide the industry with a solid foundation on which to build innovative NFC-based services.”
Philippe Vallee, Vice President of the Telecom Business Unit at Gemalto said, “The availability of SIM-based NFC phones is expected to positively impact operators and service providers, as well as end users.
“Together, Gemalto and NXP are paving the way for a boom in NFC-based applications that will embrace the lifestyle of today’s citizens on-the-move.”