DUEBENDORF-ZURICH, Switzerland, VERSAILLES and AIX EN PROVENCE, France–EsmertecT, a leading provider of world-class software solutions and services for the telecommunication, interactive multimedia, and consumer electronics markets, INSIDE Contactless (INSIDE), a leading fabless semiconductor provider, and Trusted Logic (TL), a leading provider of secure open software for embedded systems, announced they are collaborating to develop and deliver near field communications (NFC) solutions to mobile devices and chipset manufacturers.

Contactless technology leverages electromagnetic waves to automatically identify people and objects. On a global scale, Contactless chips are gaining significant momentum in mobile devices, payment cards, access control, identity and security applications, mass transit and electronic tagging solutions. The distinct advantages of contactless chips include the speed of processing and approvals, as well as the reduced maintenance costs typically associated with mechanical systems.

Combining INSIDE’s NFC-enabled chipsets with Esmertec’s Java software and TL’s secure middleware will enable the companies to deliver a complete contactless solution for mobile devices. The companies also announced that they will jointly promote the fully integrated solution to their combined customer base.

“Contactless chips in mobile handsets for payment and identification are a natural next-step, since handsets are personal items that users carry everywhere with them,” says Alain Blancquart, Chairman and CEO of Esmertec. “Combining our companies’ hardware, software and middleware expertise will open up new opportunities in a wide range of applications that can benefit from such contactless solutions.”

“The market for contactless solutions in mobile phones and PDAs is poised for exponential growth, and the partnership we’ve announced today will help accelerate the development and delivery of numerous applications that will intuitively enable users to access content and services by simply touching smart objects,” says Remy de Tonnac, CEO of INSIDE. “We’re looking forward to working with Esmertec and Trusted Logic to capitalize on this enormous market opportunity.”

Dominique Bolignano, Trusted Logic CEO, comments, “NFC is poised to become a key transaction enabler and as such will be the converging point of a lot of critical information. Coupled with Esmertec’s J2ME framework and INSIDE universal chipset, Trusted Logic security middleware will give applications the secure footing they really need.”

About INSIDE Contactless Headquartered in France with a global presence in China, Singapore, Poland and the USA, INSIDE Contactless is a leading fabless semiconductor provider, delivering the most flexible, innovative, cost-effective, and trusted platform for contactless applications including bank card payments and Near Field Communications (NFC). INSIDE is involved in numerous industry initiatives, including the NFC Forum, which is driving the standardization of NFC; as well as the IN-CLUB Limited. For more information on INSIDE, please visit: www.insidecontactless.com.

About Trusted Logic With dual competence in security and open technology for embedded systems, Trusted Logic has been leading the development of secure software since its creation in 1999, focusing on three industries: smart cards and secure tokens, payment and professional terminals and mobile and consumer devices. Its subsidiary, Trusted Labs, offers security consulting and evaluation services.

About Esmertec Esmertec is a leading provider of world-class software solutions and services for telecommunication, interactive multimedia, and consumer electronics markets. Engineered for smallness and mass consumption, Esmertec’s wireless JavaT ME solutions, mobile applications and object-oriented software platform (OSVMT) are developed to extract maximum performance from hardware environments. Esmertec Cellicium’s premier mobile browsing solutions, applications and services are designed to bring interactive mobile services to mobile operators. Founded in 1999, Esmertec is a global company headquartered in Zurich, with engineering, sales and customer support operations in Switzerland, China, Denmark, France, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, the UK and the USA. www.esmertec.com.

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