Toshiba has announced the development of a new USIM card for NFC handsets. The new USIM is to go on show for the first time at the Mobile World Congress next week, when further details are also expected to be revealed. Samples of the new card will be released in the third quarter of 2009.

Despite its lack of a pedigree in the SIM market, Toshiba says it has plenty of relevant experience, “Toshiba is able to draw on capabilities in mobile phone handsets, semiconductors and systems to deliver a lineup of newly developed USIM cards offering high value-added solutions,” says the company’s official announcement.

Toshiba says its USIM line-up meets the latest European Telecommunications Standards Institute-Smart Card Platform (ETSI SCP) and the GSM Association (GSMA) specifications, which use the Single Wire Protocol approach to NFC. “It is also compatible with the GSMA’s Pay-Buy-Mobile programme, and offers full support for mobile contactless services, and meets all the security levels required for international payment applications,” the company says.

Toshiba’s Toshiharu Watanabe explains the importance of the new product for the company: “The introduction of a USIM card is a significant development for Toshiba, and with our company’s advanced mobile technology and USIM, we would like to provide new solutions to the customer. We are also excited to support the advance of the Pay-Buy-Mobile programme promoted by GSMA, based on our technological achievements in the financial smart card sector.”

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