Broadcom launches NFC Controller for Mobile Payments and Transit Applications

Broadcom Corporation claims the industry’s highest performing Near Field Communications (NFC) controller. The BCM20797 provides greater transaction range, improved security and faster transaction speeds, which is ideal for mobile payments and transit applications. The new device is part of Broadcom’s overall effort to provide customers with innovations in the NFC market that advance technology capabilities and increase end-device integration.

With the most competitive BOM cost and smallest PCB footprint, the BCM20797 helps OEMs to seamlessly and cost-effectively integrate NFC into smaller form factor mobile devices and wearables. The new BCM20797 also includes an innovative new capability called Virtual Execution Environment (VEE), which greatly improves performance of host card emulation (HCE).  VEE reduces HCE transactions to half their time, improves security without the need for a secure element (SE), and can perform transactions with the host off so users can still make a transaction when their device is powered off.

“Broadcom continues to bring improved capability and superior integration to provide a new benchmark for NFC applications,” said Dino Bekis, Broadcom Vice President of Product Marketing, Wireless Connectivity Combos.  “By incorporating new features like VEE and driving down the overall solution footprint, we’re making it easier for our customers to accelerate adoption of this technology into smartphones as well as emerging device categories like smart watches.”

The BCM20797 leads the industry with a 6cm transaction range with a 10x10mm2 antenna. Because it has low spurious emissions, the controller does not require additional filters, making its BOM cost 30 percent lower and PCB footprint 50 percent smaller than competitive solutions.  The BCM20797 also has a proprietary feature that reduces power consumption by 50 percent when polling for a tag.