Broadcom introduces the industry's first family of secure microcontrollers with integrated near-field communication capabilities

     Broadcom announced a new addition to the StrataGX portfolio with a new high-security microcontroller that delivers advanced security, unmatched performance, and integrated near Field communication (NFC) capabilities for a wide range of connected devices. The BCM58100 series is designed for other applications such as mobile point-of-sale terminals (mPOS), personal computers and iot products.

     The BCM58100 provides top-of-the-line security to protect the physical and network layers of sensitive customer data from threats, while simplifying system design, reducing package size, and reducing costs for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). The BroadSAFE™ architecture resists attacks by providing tamper-proof and encryption capabilities, secure storage, and processing of card information and user biometric data such as fingerprints, iris, face templates, and more. The BCM58100 is compliant with the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) and provides an additional layer of security by ensuring that end products meet stringent payment card industry (PCI) and Continental, mastercard and Visa (EMV) certifications.

     Christopher Moezzi, senior director of marketing for StrataGX Processors, Broadcom's computing and wireless connectivity division, said: "The rapid adoption of connected smart devices has raised concerns about the security of customer and business data. Broadcom's latest security microcontroller delivers best-in-class security and industry-leading performance through an energy-efficient design, which will continue our leadership in mPOS and enable us to expand our business in the small, low-power connected device industry."

     In addition, the Broadcom BCM58100 is the industry's first secure microcontroller with integrated NFC capabilities to support a growing number of click-access, click-pair and click-pay product applications, enabling PCS, home automation products and mPOS to pay, access and control applications in a secure environment via smartphones. By 2018, the number of NFC-enabled smartphones in the world is expected to exceed 2 billion [1], and NFC will bring huge business opportunities for chip companies, Oems, and developers in various market segments.

     John Heggestuen, senior research analyst at Business Insider Intelligence, said: "We are seeing widespread adoption of NFC-enabled devices and expect the number of mPOS installed worldwide to grow to more than 50 million units by 2018. The development of new technologies such as Apple Pay will greatly drive the rise of NFC-enabled payment terminals and be an important catalyst for accelerating mobile point-of-sale deployment, especially in the small and medium-sized retail industry where mPOS cost-effectiveness is highly valued."