STMicroelectronics Bolsters Security in Wearable Devices for Mobile Transactions

Electronics and semiconductor manufacturer STMicroelectronics has unveiled a new product-development ecosystem that beefs up security for mobile transactions in wearable devices.

With this new development, smart watches and other wearables could challenge smartphones as the major hub for digital lifestyles.

Over half a billion wearables is expected to be connected to the Internet by 2019, according to Cisco Visual Networking Index. This is a potentially huge user base that could make convenient and secure mobile payments using a device that is more natural to use than a smartphone or a card.

The new development ecosystem helps product developers incorporate support for payment, ticketing, digital access and loyalty-card applications within the device via the main microcontroller. A hardware secure element further offers strong protection against malicious threats.

With this ecosystem, they also get access to virtually everything they need to create applications on a host such as an STM32 microcontroller, an optional NFC antenna-booster technology and proven secure element devices in ST’s portfolio.

The ecosystem offers a choice of expansion boards with either ST31 secure microcontroller or the ST54 System-in-Package (SiP). The ST31-based design makes an ideal choice for VIP banking applications such as smart bands that support credit card functionality. The SiP, meanwhile, supports OEM NFC-payment devices and comprises a secure microcontroller, an NFC controller, a complete set of software building blocks and an NFC antenna.

Laurent Degauque, Secure Microcontroller Division Marketing Director, STMicroelectronics, commented “Hardware-secured payments can make wearables even more attractive to a broader range of end users, helping both the wearables and the mobile-payments markets grow quickly to their full potential. Our ecosystem provides everything needed to achieve full hardware and software integration, helping bring new products to market quickly and ensuring the highest levels of security leveraging our proven secure-element ICs.”