NXP Semiconductors secure smart card and Near Field Communication (NFC) chip solutions have been selected by BenQ for its forthcoming T80 phone - the first commercially available NFC mobile from BenQ to be released before the end of the year. BenQ T80 is running Windows Mobile 6 standard edition, support GSM Quadband network and will have WiFi integrated.

The BenQ T80 phone is the world's first handset to store NFC applications in the Secure Digital Memory card. The microSD card will host a range of NFC applications for mobile wallet, transport ticketing and security to be stored on the embedded, highly secure NXP SmartMX chip. For service providers, storing NFC applications on the SD memory card makes it possible to host a wide variety of applications on a single integrated device. Consumers benefit from the convenience of being able to remove and reuse the microSD card when they switch to other NFC phones.

"The initial response to the news about our upcoming NFC phones - from both mobile phone users and service providers in Taiwan - has been extremely promising,” said Barry Dai, manager of product business management team, BenQ Corporation. "We’re strongly encouraged by the demand generated by highly successful NFC trials in Taiwan - from transportation to mobile banking and payment services - and look forward to continued collaboration with major industry partners to enable the best NFC user experience possible." 

The BenQ NFC phone will be used for applications such as electronic ticketing and payment for passengers of the Taipei transportation system, who will be able to take advantage of the contactless functionality embedded in the microSD card. Other applications will include electronic wallet services and access control for private security systems. The BenQ T80 phone will be demonstrated by NXP at IFA 2007 in Berlin this week, and is scheduled for release before the end of the year.