Gemalto, STMicroelectronics to Develop Secure Solutions for NFC Applications

STMicroelectronics, a provider of secure microcontroller ICs, and Gemalto, a provider of digital security solutions, announced  a partnership to jointly develop and distribute digital security services for Near Field Communications (NFC) applications.

The combined solution will meet the strong global demand for NFC-based services, according to company officials. It will accelerate the adoption and implementation of NFC services, including consumer applications such as contactless payment, transportation ticketing, personal data protection and device integrity.

Through this partnership, the companies are addressing industry’s need for a secure element, such as the widely adopted SIM-based NFC solution, for trusted NFC applications.

In the future, they will develop a number of additional packaged offers that include the highly secure ST33 EAL5+ chipset from ST, specially designed for mobile applications, and Gemalto’s (News - Alert) secure operating system, mobile handset software, Trusted Service Management and secure personalization services, company officials said in a statement.

“ST is delighted to partner with Gemalto on new and innovative products that will fully benefit from ST’s broad NFC portfolio, which ranges from an NFC router to advanced SIM and Secure Element ICs,” said Marie-France Florentin, general manager of the Secure Microcontrollers Division at STMicroelectronics (News - Alert), in a statement.

“By combining some of the most advanced NFC related technologies from both companies, ST and Gemalto will bring leading and highly secure solutions to the market to further accelerate the deployment of NFC services across the world,” Florentin added.

The solution is based on industry’s leading public key cryptography, matching the latest GP 2.2, JavaCard 3.0.1 specifications as well as Common Criteria EAL4+ and EMVCo certifications.

“Gemalto is committed to bringing best-in-class digital security technology and expertise to advance NFC adoption globally,” said Frédéric Vasnier, senior vice president of telecommunications at Gemalto, in a statement.

“The new partnership ensures that Gemalto and STMicroelectronics will stay at the forefront in providing our customers with the most advanced NFC solutions that best fit their go-to-market,” Vasnier added.

The solution will be available as a System-in-Package (SIP) version combined with ST’s ST21NFCA NFC controller, or as a stand-alone secure element in DFN or micro-SD packages.