Press Release  | 

NXP joins the Mobile World Capital and will create a knowledge centre in Barcelona

NXP joins the Mobile World Capital and will create a knowledge centre in Barcelona

Mobile World Capital Barcelona (MWCapital) has reached an agreement with NXP Semiconductors whereby NXP will join the MWCapital project as technological partner and will install in Barcelona its m-Knowledge Centre, a global hub for the development of contactless technology. NXP is the world’s leading Near Field Communication (NFC) chip manufacturer and will have a strategic role in the Capital’s industrial programme in which this technology will play an important part.

According to the agreement, NXP will initially participate as a technological partner in the mWallet programme, which covers all projects that are focused with developing tools and solutions to transform mobile phones into digital wallets. The functions of the mWallet include personal identification, paying in shops, purchasing tickets, and transfer of money and data between individuals via smartphones. NXP will deliver knowledge on wireless communication in general and NFC in particular.

Agustín Cordón, Vice President of the MWCapital Executive Committee, said that, with NXP’s incorporation, “We are adding a technology leader in the mobile sector that will deliver all their knowledge and capacity for innovation. It is yet another example of the type and profile of companies that, within the MWCapital framework, are not only project partners, but also choose Barcelona to install their innovation centres and create highly-skilled jobs”.

Henri Ardevol, Vice President and General Manager of Secure Transactions at NXP, said that “Mobile World Capital Barcelona plays a pivotal role for the development of the new mobile lifestyle. We are looking forward to jointly develop advanced Mobile Transactions applications which bring convenience and security to our smart mobile societies. We plan to leverage the experience of working with phone and tablet manufacturers across the world who have to date integrated our technology in approximately 200 devices, such as for example Samsung’s Galaxy S III, Google’s Galaxy Nexus and Nexus 7, HTC’s OneX or Sony’s Experia S, P and sola.

**Global NFC development from Barcelona **

NXP, a global semiconductor company with operations in more than 25 countries and revenue of $4.2 billion in 2011, has chosen Barcelona as the base for its m-Knowledge Centre, a pool of technical experts providing knowledge and technological guidance in the area of Identification related markets and applications. Under the direction of Pedro Martinez, NXP Business Development Manager Mobile Transactions EMEA, the m-Knowledge Center will provide top level technical training services, application and design support, project management and technological consultancy on a global scale and in all areas related to contactless applications. The m-Knowledge Centre will be located in the Mobile World Hub’s future facilities.

Near Field Communication or NFC is a contactless communication technology invented by NXP and Sony, connecting devices only a few centimetres away from each other. This allows users to make purchases in any shop or pay for a bus ticket by swiping a smartphone over the cash register. NFC has become the universal standard due to its compatibility with the majority of contactless communication protocols that exist on the market.

**The mobile ecosystem hub **

Last July, Barcelona was chosen by GSMA to be Mobile World Capital from 2012 to 2018. The project is sustained by four pillars: Mobile World Congress and Mobile World Hub, concerned mainly with industry and business, y Mobile World Centre and Mobile World Festival, focused on citizens and social activities.

The MWCapital is run by a Foundation, presided over by the city’s Mayor, Xavier Trias, formed initially by the Ministry for Industry, Trade and Tourism, the Catalan Generalitat, the Barcelona City Council, Fira de Barcelona and GSMA, the association that represents over 800 operators worldwide and over 2000 companies in the extensive mobile ecosystem.