NXP and STMicroelectronics have announced a global licensing agreement for NXP's MIFARE smartcard near-field communications (NFC) technology.
NFC implies using portable devices, often phones, to communicate magnetically over short (~100mm) distances by mimicking smartcards and smartcard readers.
"We are convinced that the mainstream adoption of NFC requires industry collaboration, and so we are delighted that STMicroelectronics will be integrating the MIFARE technology into its next-generation contactless solutions," said Ruediger Stroh, general manager of identification business at NXP.
ST can now integrate the entire MIFARE family into its security solutions for mobile phone and banking applications.
On top of MIFARE Plus contactless technology, ST can also include MIFARE Classic and MIFARE DESFire technology into its SIM card ICs and other embedded secure solutions for the mobile phone market, as well as into security solutions for PC readers and banking card ICs.
The licensing agreement provides operators and device vendors with the technology for public transport networks, ticketing systems and access management, as well as contactless banking cards.