STMicroelectronics’ NFC Technology Chosen to Distinguish TCL Communication’s Alcatel 3V Smartphone through Outstanding Contactless User Experience

• ST’s integrated NFC controller certified to GSMA, EMVCo and NFC Forum standards minimizes time to market

• ST and TCL Communication intend to cooperate on digital security for next-generation TCL Communication products

Geneva, June 4, 2018 – STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has revealed its Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology is powering the contactless features of TCL Communication’s newly launched Alcatel 3V smartphone for the European market^[1].

Prioritizing enhanced user experience and convenience through Alcatel 3V’s NFC features, TCL Communication selected ST’s NFC-controller chip for its unique technology that boosts RF performance without draining battery life.

ST’s technology ensures robust connectivity for fast and reliable contactless payments, e-ticket transactions, peer-to-peer data transfer, and emerging use cases including interacting with “physical-web” objects like smart posters or store-shelves. Superior RF performance also helped TCL Communication to streamline certification to mandatory stringent EMVCo, GSMA and NFC Forum standards for handsets.

“With the all-new direction of our Alcatel 2018 smartphone portfolio, we are committed to continuing delivering high-quality and affordably priced smartphones that appear more premium than their price,” said Stefan Streit, General Manager, Global Marketing, TCL Communication. ”We are pleased to partner with ST to equip Alcatel 3V with reliable and secure contactless connections for our customers around the globe and to provide even richer experiences and superior interoperability throughout the numerous contactless terminals in their everyday lives. The support provided by ST and the highly effective collaboration between our technical teams helped us quickly achieve the applicable certifications for the Alcatel 3V.”

“The high RF performance of ST’s NFC solution maximizes freedom and flexibility to optimize new product designs,” said Laurent Degauque, Marketing Director, Secure Microcontroller Division, STMicroelectronics. “Leveraging that flexibility effectively streamlined NFC integration on the Alcatel 3V smartphone, ultimately ensuring shorter time to revenue for our customer, TCL Communication.”

ST and TCL Communication aim to extend their collaboration to integrate ST’s hardware digital-security solutions into future TCL Communication products. ST has a portfolio of highly miniaturized, low-power chips, including an embedded Secure Element (eSE) for cryptography and key storage and combined NFC/eSE devices, which are certified to Common Criteria EAL5+ and EMVCo security standards for financial applications. ST also offers a wide range of solutions and form factors for eSIM.

Technical Notes for Editors:

The ST21NFCD integrates a complete NFC controller and RF circuitry that together meet NFC Forum type 1-5 tag specifications, ISO/IEC 18092 NFC Interface and Protocol (NFCIP), and RFID and payment standards including ISO 15693, ISO/IEC 14443 Type A & B, JIS X 6319 – 4 and MIFARE^®.

ST’s active load modulation technology leverages synchronization with the reader’s RF field to boost signal strength and ensure reliable coupling during data exchanges. This gives designers more flexibility to use smaller antenna sizes and minimize system power consumption for longer battery life, while enabling users to experience smooth, hassle-free contactless transactions.

The ST21NFCD contains many integrated features that minimize circuit size and bill-of-materials costs. These include a clock generator (with the option to use an external reference clock or quartz crystal), as well as on-chip power-management and battery-voltage monitoring that boost energy efficiency and extend run-time. Integrated eFlash with a secure firmware update mechanism also provides flexibility to apply upgrades and security packs over the air.

About STMicroelectronics

ST is a global semiconductor leader delivering intelligent and energy-efficient products and solutions that power the electronics at the heart of everyday life. ST’s products are found everywhere today and together with our customers, we are enabling smarter driving and smarter factories, cities and homes, along with the next generation of mobile and Internet of Things devices.

By getting more from technology to get more from life, ST stands for life.augmented.

In 2017, the Company’s net revenues were $8.35 billion, serving more than 100,000 customers worldwide. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

PR Contact
STMicroelectronics
Michael Markowitz
Director Technical Media Relations
+1 781 591 0354
michael.markowitz@st.com

[1] The Alcatel 3V NFC version is available in select markets. For more information on all of Alcatel’s latest smartphones and other mobile devices, please visit www.alcatelmobile.com.