SECORA Pay Bio enhances convenience and trust of biometric contactless payment

As the payment world moves towards digitalisation, the need to protect digital identities and transactions has never been more important. In addition to standard contactless payment cards, biometric payment cards are a promising development in this area and are gaining in popularity. Against this backdrop, Infineon has announced SECORA Pay Bio, an all-in-one biometric payment card solution that complies with Visa and Mastercard specifications. It integrates Infineon’s enhanced SLC39B system-on-chip (SoC) Secure Element and the FPC1323 sensor by Fingerprint Cards AB (Fingerprints) into the Infineon Biometric Coil on Module (BCoM) package, leveraging the key advantages of inductive coupling technology. The solution uses the fingerprint credentials securely stored on the card as a second authentication factor, enabling a convenient and trusted contactless payment experience.

In an optimistic scenario, ABI Research expects the market for biometric cards to grow to 113.3 million units by 2028. This market trend is driven by further optimisation of the price-performance ratio, including the producibility and cost of biometric payment cards, as well as by consumer demand for more convenient and secured biometric authentication in personal payment transactions. Furthermore, biometric payment cards could offer an additional barrier against lost-and-stolen fraud and PIN phishing fraud.

SECORA Pay Bio extends Infineon’s SECORA Pay solution family. The solution integrates Fingerprints’ sensor and Infineon’s SLC39B SoC Secure Element into a single dual-interface package, the innovative Infineon Biometric Coil on Module (BCoM). The SLC39B Secure Element with an integrated power source offers large memory size and various peripherals, as well as excellent contactless performance. Based on innovative inductive coupling technology without wire connection from the BCoM module to the card antenna, manufacturing complexity can be drastically reduced, and the card robustness and long-term reliability can be significantly improved. In addition, the biometric sensor card production can now be implemented on existing dual interface card manufacturing equipment with only minor operational changes. As the SECORA Pay Bio solution complies with both Mastercard and Visa specifications, the use of BCoM technology would not require additional performance testing, enabling a flexible and rapid rollout with outstanding performance and a frictionless onboarding process.

SECORA Pay Bio supports a wide range of enrolment options, including sleeves, smartphone apps and in-field enrolment. The innovative SECORA Pay Bio enrolment sheet makes fingerprint enrolling via smartphone easier than ever before. In addition, SECORA Pay Bio is the first biometric payment solution to support in-field enrolment. This allows cardholders to use biometric payment cards without any additional effort or devices. Moreover, with these new biometric cards, the fingerprint template is trained with each payment transaction, improving the user experience even further.

Availability
The SECORA Pay Bio solution supports the latest payment applications according to EMV specifications. The pilot proven product is available with full design-in package and ready for mass-production. More information is available at https://www.infineon.com/secorapaybio

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u-blox launches first satellite IoT-NTN cellular module with embedded GNSS

u-blox has launched its first combined 3GPP-compliant terrestrial network (TN) and non-terrestrial network (NTN) IoT module, the SARA-S528NM10. This standards-based module is a game changer for the satellite IoT market as it supports global coverage with accurate, low-power and concurrent positioning – an essential attribute for use cases requiring continuous or cyclic asset tracking and monitoring. Other IoT use cases include aftermarket telematics, industrial monitoring and control, smart metering and utilities, and fleet management.

With cellular networks covering a mere ten percent of the globe, the demand for guaranteed global reach is escalating, particularly for IoT applications such as asset tracking in remote or maritime environments. Satellite IoT bridges this gap; adoption has been partially limited by the high cost of the satellite terminals, high power consumption and the high cost of satellite airtime.

Current satellite connectivity solutions require proprietary hardware and software, which lock the terminal to a specific satellite operator – the user would need to replace their satellite terminals to move to a different satellite operator. The u-blox solution, on the other hand, is based on global 3GPP standards, and can be certified as interoperable with multiple satellite providers supporting the standard, maximising customer choice.

“The new u-blox satellite IoT-NTN cellular module is designed to maintain connectivity in areas without cellular coverage,” explained Stephan Zizala, u-blox CEO. “The integrated u-blox GNSS solution consumes less than 15mW of power in continuous tracking mode and has high RF sensitivity that reduces the time required to establish a position fix. It provides concurrent location data without interrupting the cellular or satellite connection, which further helps to minimise power consumption due to the shortened active time of the device.”

Powered by the u-blox UBX-S52 cellular/satellite chipset and GNSS M10 platform, the module complies with the 3GPP Rel 17 NB-NTN specification. This standards-based approach guarantees extended connectivity via LTE-M and NB-IoT on terrestrial cellular networks and NB-IoT on geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite constellations compliant with 3GPP Rel 17, including readiness for low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The UBX-S52 cellular/satellite chipset is currently undergoing certification with Skylo, a global NTN service provider, for its satellite network. The certification enables seamless support for both cellular and Skylo satellite connectivity, creating an enhanced and reliable experience that efficiently utilises resources.

The SARA-S528NM10 module supports all three new NTN bands – n23 (United States), n255 (L-band global), and n256 (S-band Europe) – enhancing and future-proofing its technological credentials. It is pin-compatible with other u-blox cellular-only modules in the SARA form factor, enabling engineers to easily scale up their IoT products using legacy technology without costly redesigns.

https://www.u-blox.com

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Infineon introduces the XENSIV PAS CO2 5V sensor for higher energy efficiency

In order to further drive decarbonisation, improving the energy efficiency of buildings is crucial, as they contribute significantly to global energy consumption and carbon emissions. Innovative solutions are needed to optimise energy consumption while ensuring a healthy indoor environment. Infineon is addressing this need with the introduction of the new XENSIV PAS CO2 5V sensor. It is based on the Photoacoustic Spectroscopy (PAS) technology and improves energy efficiency by adapting ventilation to actual occupancy, thereby reducing the carbon footprint of buildings. This makes the device suitable for applications such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems as well as room controller and thermostat units in commercial and residential buildings. It can also be used for IoT and consumer devices such as smart lighting, air purifiers, conferencing systems, and smart speakers, as well as emerging applications such as smart horticulture and smart refrigerators.

“Environmental sensing is an important pillar of Infineon’s sensor portfolio,” said Andreas Kopetz, VP Ambient Sensing at Infineon. “CO2 sensors play an increasingly important role in smart homes and buildings by continuously monitoring indoor air quality and adjusting ventilation systems accordingly. Our XENSIV PAS CO2 5V is a sensor solution that ensures a healthier living environment for occupants and enables significant energy savings for greater sustainability.”

The XENSIV PAS CO2 5V provides accurate air quality data in real time. Its miniaturised form factor of 14×13.8×7.5 mm³ is identical to the size of the XENSIV PAS CO2 12V sensor and allows seamless integration into a wide range of applications. This makes it easy to adopt dual designs or maintain the same design strategy for both product variants. Compared to the 12V sensor, the 5V version comes with a 5V power supply which further simplifies installation. Moreover, it offers a significantly faster response time of 55 seconds, down from 90 seconds (12 V). This improvement enhances efficiency across various applications, allowing for quicker data acquisition and more responsive performance in dynamic environments. The sensor’s design is dust-proof in accordance with ISO 20653:2013-02, which extends the lifetime of the device in dusty environments and minimises maintenance requirements. In addition, the UART, I²C and PWM interfaces enable seamless integration with microcontrollers and other digital systems, simplifying the design and development process. Ultimately, with its robust performance, the sensor meets the performance criteria of the internationally recognised WELL Green Building Standard, enhancing both environmental sustainability and property value.

All major components of the XENSIV PAS CO2 5V sensor are developed in-house according to Infineon’s high-quality standards. Among others, this includes a dedicated microcontroller that runs advanced compensation algorithms to provide direct and reliable ppm readouts of real CO2 levels. The available configuration options make the sensor one of the most versatile plug-and-play CO2 sensors on the market. They include a dedicated ABOC (Automatic Baseline Offset Calibration), pressure compensation, signal alarm, sample rate and early measurement notification, which are especially useful for power consumption management. The SMD package, delivered in tape and reel, allows for easy assembly, even in high-speed, high-volume manufacturing.

https://www.infineon.com/co2

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Rutronik now offers the nRF9151 from Nordic Semiconductor

The nRF9151 from Nordic Semiconductor is a new addition to the Rutronik Wireless portfolio: an energy-efficient system-in-package (SiP) with integrated LTE-M, NB-IoT, GNSS, and DECT NR+ radio modem. Currently the smallest and most power-efficient device of its kind, the nRF9151 sets a new standard for highly integrated and compact SiP solutions. Also available is the nRF9151 DK, a specially developed, cost-effective and pre-certified single-board development kit for initial evaluation and development purposes. As a fully integrated, pre-certified SiP with an application MCU, the nRF9151 is suitable for the development of extensive applications or for use as a stand-alone cellular modem. This simplifies the development and deployment of scalable products in numerous IoT markets, including industrial automation, asset tracking, smart city, smart metering and smart agriculture.
The nRF9151 represents a significant advance in cellular IoT technology and offers a cost-effective and globally accessible solution. The comprehensive and compact solution includes hardware with a programmable application processor, software, cloud services, development tools and world-class support.

The nRF9151 achieves its unrivalled performance and versatility through the use of low-power LTE technology, advanced processing capabilities, and robust security features. 3GPP Release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT and DECT NR+ are supported.

Benefits at a glance:
• Fully integrated SiP with 64 MHz Arm Cortex-M33 and multimode LTE-M/NB-IoT modem with DECT NR+ support and GNSS 700-2200 MHz LTE band support
• Power Class 5 20 dBm
• Power Class 3 23 dBm
• 1.9GHz NR+ band support
• Certified for global operation
• Dedicated programmable application processor and memory
• 1 MB flash + 256 KB RAM
• Arm TrustZone + Arm CryptoCell 310

Application examples:
• Asset Tracking
• Smart Metering
• Smart City
• Smart Agriculture
• Predictive maintenance
• Portable Medical Devices
• Industry 4.0

https://www.rutronik24.com

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