We interview Mr. Ravi Manik, Director, Corporate Business Development at Broadcom, to get his views on what is the future on NFC and it's importance in the Indian context as per Broadcom.
Broadcom recently introduced the next-generation of near field communication (NFC) controllers designed to deliver low cost solutions for mass market smartphones and wearables. We interview Mr. Ravi Manik, Director, Corporate Business Development at Broadcom, to get his views on what is the future on NFC and it’s importance in the Indian context as per Broadcom.
Broadcom’s plan of bringing NFC to affordable device segment sounds like a good initiative. But, is there a demand in the affordable segment for NFC chips?
Broadcom actually sees more people wanting to use simplified pairing enabled by NFC on affordable smartphones. As mobile payments are rolled out on an international scale it’s only a matter of time before NFC for mobile payments becomes more commonplace on affordable smartphones. ABI Research predicts that over three and a half billion NFC-enabled devices will ship over the next five years.
While the BCM20795 is a standalone NFC solution, are you planning any combo solutions based on the new power efficient NFC chip?
We announced the industry’s first NFC Quad-combo in late 2012, which combines NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM on a single die. More information can be found in the press release here. As for future announcements, Broadcom does not comment on our product roadmap.
NFC as a technology seems to have failed to take-off when compared to the expectations. A lot of which has to do with NFC payment mechanisms not yet going mass market. Would you agree to this? If NFC one of those solutions that is still hunting and looking for a problem to solve? Or, what in your opinion is stifling the growth of NFC tech among smartphones?
Mobile payments are still continuing to move forward and Broadcom has the technology in place to support mobile payments when they take off. Broadcom’s NFC technology is certified for all payment schemes, including SIM-based, embedded and cloud-based secure elements (e.g. HCE), 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.
A lot is said about NFC being plagued by security concerns, would you agree? How is Broadcom handling security on their latest low-cost NFC solution?
Broadcom’s standards-based software stack implements NFC Forum specifications, including NFC Controller interface (NCI), to support multiple operating systems. As a testament to its certified solutions, Broadcom recently contributed its NFC software stack into the Android 4.2 operating system. In the context of mobile payments, the NFC security is just as stringent as EMV cards, requiring same levels of security certification. All of Broadcom’s NFC solutions for mobile payments undergo certification.
Bluetooth LE seems to offer a competing solution to NFC, though not a direct replacement. Apple’s adoption of BLE for iBeacons in its stores seem to point towards BLE gaining edge over NFC for mobile payments. Apple has categorically expressed preference for BLE due to its range advantage. What are your thoughts on the same?
We do not comment on other companies’ product strategies.
NFC tags were supposed to change the way in which we seek and communicate with devices and even shop around in malls. What are your thoughts on the concept?
NFC tags as used in consumer marketing, such as in “smart posters”, have been slower to take off than expected, but are expected to grow. For example, Samsung markets TecTiles NFC tags for consumer/small business applications.
Coming back to the recently announced low-cost energy efficient NFC solution, which Indian vendors are you working with?
We do not talk about customers unless they are announced publicly.
Can we expect Broadcom NFC chips in mobile devices priced between Rs. 7,000-10,000?
We do not discuss pricing. Broadcom’s NFC solution is part of our Smartphone Turnkey solution. Broadcom chipset-based smartphones are shipping in this price range in India, and NFC can potentially be added to the same.
In the Indian context, presently what use case scenarios do we have for NFC based smartphones? Can you give some examples?
NFC can simplify user experience, allowing for simpler way for deices to interact and connect with each other. Use cases are similar to existing examples of how NFC is used as a simplified pairing technology. This includes tapping to share information like a playlist or contact in a smartphone, and can extend to more sophisticated applications like tapping a smartphone to a smart TV to transfer a streaming video or tapping a smartphone to a POS terminal to complete a secure mobile transaction. The India Government initiatives like Aadhar will drive increased need for authentication technologies, which can be supported by NFC.
All responses are attributed to Mr. Ravi Manik, Director, Corporate Business Development, India & South-East Asia at Broadcom.