Moversa, the joint venture between NXP and Sony Corporation, will unveil the capabilities of its latest security chip - the Universal Secure Access Module (U-SAM) - at this year's Mobile World Congress (16-19 February in Barcelona, Spain).
The chip manages contactless smart card applications, regardless of protocols and operating systems, in Near Field Communication (NFC)-enabled mobile devices. The potential of the U-SAM will be showcased on the NTT DOCOMO stand (Stand B117, Hall 8) in a demonstration featuring how multiple applications based on different contactless technologies, can be accessed on one mobile handset.
"Moversa's U-SAM delivers a key bridge between existing contactless specifications and services - simplifying and expanding the potential for future contactless platforms and applications", said Jonathan Collins, principal analyst, RFID & contactless, ABI Research. "Its arrival will help drive the rollout of NFC globally enhancing the reach of mobile contactless services in transport ticketing, payment and access management applications".
Moversa's U-SAM supports two of the most widely installed contactless smart card technologies in the world, NXP's MIFARETM and Sony's FeliCaTM systems, as well as a number of other contactless operating systems and applications. The chip will enable mobile device manufacturers to design products which are interoperable with existing contactless infrastructures.
"The U-SAM provides a simple, secure and interoperable solution for manufacturers to develop NFC-enabled devices which can be used with the existing contactless installation base", said Guus Frericks, president, Moversa. "Handsets powered by our universal contactless IC platform will enable mobile network operators and service providers to drive mobile wallet concepts on a global basis by rolling out exciting new contactless services which enhance consumer lifestyles."
"Moversa's chip increases the possibilities to expand the existing contactless smart card domain into various NFC mobile services, creating new growth opportunities for mobile network operators and service providers", said Takeshi Natsuno, professor of Keio University, widely known as the father of Osaifu-KeitaiTM mobile wallet services in Japan. "With mobile NFC devices powered by universal security chips like Moversa's U-SAM, I see a great potential that consumers around the globe can enjoy a wide range of contactless services similar to the successful mobile wallet services in Japan".
The U-SAM will be available in both embedded and SIM form factors. Built-in software from Moversa enables seamless switching amongst the different contactless technologies. It also supports standardized communication interfaces such as SPI, ISO7816, UART and SWP (ETSI compliant).
To host multiple contactless operating systems smoothly, the U-SAM runs on a widely used secure CPU core based on high performance 32-bit architecture with a high density embedded non-volatile memory. To address the highest security requirements for contactless transactions, the chip supports DES/3DES, AES, RSA, ECC and its hardware is targeted to receive Common Criteria EAL 5+ and EMVCo certification.
Availability
The Moversa's U-SAM will begin sampling to selected customers during the middle of 2009. Volume ramp-up is expected during the first half of 2010.