INSIDE Contactless unveils SecuRead NFC solution for mobile handset market

INSIDE Contactless' SecuRead NFC solution for mobile handsets.

INSIDE Contactless has unveiled SecuRead, a breakthrough NFC solution for the mobile handset market. This chip will be integrated into production handsets by mid-2011.

SecuRead is a complete, system-in-package (SIP) NFC solution that makes it simple for mobile device manufacturers and NFC infrastructure providers to integrate all of the contactless, security and application functions required for a broad range of contactless NFC payment, transit, ID and access control applications.

According to the company, SecuRead features INSIDE’s award-winning MicroRead NFC controller, a high-performance, highly secure SLE 97-family secure element from Infineon, a GlobalPlatform-compliant Java Card OS from Giesecke & Devrient and INSIDE’s Open NFC protocol stack to provide a best-of-breed solution that helps mobile device manufacturers bring rich NFC capabilities to market more quickly.

Loic Hamon, VP of products and marketing for NFC at INSIDE Contactless, said that 2011 will be the inflection point for NFC with over 50Mu devices. There are multiple committed handset ecosystems. Also, there are wireless carrier commitments, consortia, initiatives, etc. Android is now a major market driver – outselling the iPhone.

As for the regional situation, the US is witnessing mobile payment (embedded secure element). Korea is seeing a replacement of T-money (transport, payment, loyalty), UICC based. In Nice, France, there will be multi-carrier, multi-service, UICC-based, national rollout in 2011.

Ecosystem alignments are needed, and business models have to be proven. Also, NFC peripherals will contribute to market acceleration.

Turnaround finally in global mobile phone market?

Late this week, there were three reports on the global mobile phone market!

First, IDC, which says that the mobile phone market had turned a corner in Q3, and more gains are likely in Q4-2009.

Then, ABI Research pointed out that the outlook for mobile phones continue to improve — with 291.1 million mobile handsets shipped in Q3-2009 — a contraction of 6.5 percent.

Finally, Strategy Analytics also reported that global mobile handset shipments fell 4 percent year-over-year, to reach 291 million units in Q3 2009.

One other interesting aspect — while the top five vendors — Nokia, Samsung, LG, Sony Ericsson and Motorola — either held on or lost a small amount of their market share, Apple has increased its share to 2.5 percent — a figure common with both ABI Research and Strategy Analytics.

Well, all of this can only be good news for the global technology industry as well as the global mobile phone market — both of whom have had to face the wrath of probably the longest ever recession! Perhaps, it is also a good news for the mobile phone semiconductor market as well!