Broadcom Drives Near Field Communication into Affordable Smartphones and Wearables

BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Mobile World Congress

News Highlights:

• Lowers total cost for OEMs by 35 percent by enabling smaller antenna design in smartphones and wearables[1]
• Reduces power consumption by 60 percent to extend battery life[2]
• First vendor to support latest NFC Forum specifications 

Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a global innovation leader in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications, today introduced the next-generation of near field communication (NFC) controllers designed to deliver simplified connectivity and drive adoption in mass market smartphones and wearables. The new family enables mobile device manufacturers to reduce antenna size by 50 percent and lower overall cost by 35 percent. Broadcom will showcase its mobile innovations at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, February 24-27. Visit www.connectingeverything.com to learn more.

Broadcom's BCM20795 NFC family provides original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) with highly integrated, low-power solutions that can be easily incorporated into a wide range of smartphones and tablets. The new controllers reduce power consumption more than 60 percent, use 30 percent fewer components and a 35 percent smaller board area than previous generations. The devices are also compatible with Broadcom's Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices (WICED™) platform. This allows NFC-enabled mass-market smartphones and WICED Smart-based wearable devices to easily connect while conserving battery life.

Broadcom's NFC technology is certified for all payment schemes, including SIM-based, embedded and cloud-based secure elements, as well as a combination of these secure elements within the same device. This offers a significant advantage as various mobile payment methods are introduced on an international scale. As the first vendor to support the NFC Forum's latest specifications, Broadcom also ensures compliance with all current standards.

"With mobile payments gaining momentum and consumers using their devices more frequently to tap and share information, there is an increased demand for a premium NFC experience on affordable smartphones," said Dino Bekis, Broadcom Vice President, Product Marketing, Wireless Connectivity Combos. "Broadcom's new NFC controllers offer an innovative architecture that radically reduces costs for our customers so they can deliver simplified connectivity to a broader audience."

Key Features:

• Supports ISO/IEC 18092, ISO/IEC 21481, ISO/ IEC 14443 Types A, B, and B', Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) (X) 6319-4, and ISO/IEC 15693 standards
• Extends data rates to 848 kbps
• Active Load Modulation (ALM) next-generation technology reduces antenna size down to very compact sizes
• Supports Reader/Writer (R/W) mode, Active and Passive Peer (P2P) mode and Tag/Card Emulation mode
• Enhances Low-Power Target Detection (LPTD) mode for extremely low average current consumption
• Supports latest NFC Forum specifications, including NFC Controller Interface (NCI 1.1) for host  
• Product family consists of multiple devices, each targeted for specific applications ranging from secure mobile applications to embedded systems

Availability
The Broadcom BCM20795 family of NFC controllers is now sampling with customers.

For ongoing news, visit Broadcom's Newsroom, read the B-Connected Blog, or visit Facebook or Twitter. And to stay connected, subscribe to Broadcom's RSS Feed.

About Broadcom
Broadcom Corporation (NASDAQ: BRCM), a FORTUNE 500® company, is a global leader and innovator in semiconductor solutions for wired and wireless communications. Broadcom® products seamlessly deliver voice, video, data and multimedia connectivity in the home, office and mobile environments.  With the industry's broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art system-on-a-chip solutions, Broadcom is changing the world by connecting everything®.  For more information, go to www.broadcom.com.

Broadcom^®, the pulse logo, Connecting everything®, the Connecting everything logo, and WICED are among the trademarks of Broadcom Corporation and/or its affiliates in the United States, certain other countries and/or the EU.  Any other trademarks or trade names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

[1] As compared to previous generations.

[2] As compared to previous generations.

SOURCE Broadcom Corporation; BRCM Mobile & Wireless