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Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

NXP Semiconductors today said sales of its NFC chips and secure elements grew by just under 3% during the first quarter compared with the previous quarter, a lower growth rate than during 2012, though CEO Richard Clemmer sounded optimistic tones about prospects for future growth.

Samsung Electronics has changed NFC technology suppliers for its flagship Galaxy S 4, switching to an NFC controller from Broadcom and a large-memory embedded chip from STMicroelectronics, running software from Oberthur Technologies, NFC Times has learned.

NXP Semiconductors shipped 125 million NFC chips in 2012 for smartphones and tablets, the chip maker told NFC Times, beating projections for the NFC device market.

NXP Semiconductors said today it generated about $70 million in sales from its NFC chips and secure elements in the fourth quarter of 2012, up 20% over the previous quarter and three times the chip maker’s NFC revenue in the fourth quarter of 2011.

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – NFC technology this year is likely to make its way into a greater variety of consumer products, including televisions, DVD players, digital cameras, even an automatic vacuum cleaner, if demonstrations at last week’s International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas are any indication.

The 10-year anniversary of the official birth of NFC came and went quietly on Sept. 5, 2012.

U.S.-based chip maker Broadcom, whose Wi-Fi and Bluetooth combination wireless chips are found in such popular smartphones as the Samsung Galaxy S III and Apple iPhone 5, has announced NFC support for one of its next wireless combo chips.

Data analytics continue to be a growing focus of the business case for brands as they consider rolling out NFC tag campaigns, and it’s key to the new NFC marketing platform launched by Identive Group.

U.S.-based Qualcomm, the world’s largest supplier of processor chips to smartphone makers, has entered the NFC market–a move that could substantially expand the availability of NFC-enabled smartphones.

U.S.-based Qualcomm has joined the NFC Forum as a sponsor member, which gives it a seat on the board of the standards and trade organization.