MediaTek launches NFC controller that can support three secure elements

“A possible usage scenario could be a dual SIM plus one microSD card configuration in one device,” the Taiwan-based chip maker says. “It’s a great way to empower ecosystem players to launch their NFC services right away by enabling more flexible business models.”

MediaTek
MEDIATEK: MT6605 NFC controller supports up to three secure elements

Taiwan-based semiconductor supplier MediaTek has launched an NFC controller for mobile devices that can support up to three secure elements at the same time.

The MT6605 “supports simultaneously three secure elements, both embedded and SIM-based,” says MediaTek. “A possible usage scenario could be a dual SIM plus one microSD card configuration in one device. It’s a great way to empower ecosystem players to launch their NFC services right away by enabling more flexible business models.”

The device offers seamless integration with MediaTek’s existing Android mobile platforms, and the MT6605 software stack complies with the NFC Forum Controller Interface (NCI) specification and works with multiple operating systems.

The chip also incorporates a technology that MediaTek calls “Beam Plus” which optimizes the NFC to WiFi handover procedure and “can reduce device pairing time significantly at very low power operations.”

The MT6605 NFC controller is already being designed into smartphones by major customers, says MediaTek, with the first smartphones incorporating the new chips expected to ship in Q2 2013.

In a separate move, MediaTek is also integrating Miracast WiFi display technology with NFC to seamlessly interlink smart TVs with the company’s latest quad-core smartphone platform. “With a simple tap of the device,” says the company, “it is possible to wirelessly stream HD quality video and other multimedia content such as video and games from mobile and other devices onto big screen HDTVs without connecting through an access point.”

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