Monday, 3 November 2008

NXP Facilitates Use of MIFARE in NFC Enabled Devices

NXP has announced it will release within the next months the MIFARE4Mobile Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) specification, which manages MIFARE™-based applications in mobile devices.

The release of the specification provides mobile network operators and service providers with a single, interoperable programming interface, easing the use of the contactless MIFARE technology in future mobile Near Field Communication (NFC) devices.

The MIFARE4Mobile APIs manage MIFARE based applications in NFC mobile phones, from their over-the-air installation to the end-user interaction via the phone user interface. NXP proposes a Global Platform-compliant JavaCard applet to orchestrate all MIFARE services securely hosted in the mobile device.

MIFARE4Mobile APIs specification enables remote management of MIFARE based applications in an interoperable way in embedded secure elements and SIM cards.

Since MIFARE is the industry leading contactless technology in transport networks, ticketing and access management worldwide, MIFARE-based applications will transform NFC mobile phones into transport or entry tickets, offering a range of sales and distribution, ticketing and validation services from a single device. These applications will allow consumers to purchase and reload tickets anytime, anywhere; avoid queues at ticket counters and access card information straight from the screen of their NFC mobile phones.

“We recognise that enabling interoperability and extension to all stakeholders in the contactless ecosystem is critical to ensure widespread deployment of NFC. As the leader in contactless chips and co-inventor of NFC, we are committed to driving the growth of contactless mobile services,” said Heikki Huomo, vice president, general manager, NFC, NXP Semiconductors.

“We are already seeing strong demand from mobile operators and service providers to roll-out new services, and access to the MIFARE4Mobile APIs will speed development and help ensure seamless adoption of NFC devices in the vast MIFARE infrastructure.”