Sony selects ST's security MCU chips

Sony selected STMicroelectronics' latest dual-interface secure microcontroller to power the new micro payment-enabled cards that will reach Japanese consumers by H1 2016. Secure microcontroller ST31G480 is claimed by ST as the only device available today that can automatically detect and handle different types of radio-frequency communication used by the card readers. This enables Sony and other OEMs to develop and deploy contactless multi-application payment cards that can operate across different standards, infrastructures, and geographies. New smartcard payment solution by Sony is scheduled to be available in the market in first half of 2016. This is first such smartcard payment in Japan to combine both the latest VISA/MasterCard/JCB dual-interface payment schemes and the FeliCa-based payment applications in a single chip. ST says its chip-card technology ensures stable transaction speeds, robustness, and ease of use. “The unique advantages of ST’s secure microcontroller have enabled us to integrate, in a highly secure and cost-effective manner, standard payment and FeliCa-based applications in a single chip,” said Kazuyuki Sakamoto, Senior General Manager, FeliCa Business Division, Sony Corporation. “This technological advancement will increase convenience for Japanese consumers by expanding the opportunities to use their payment cards in many different settings a...