Future Electronics bolsters NFC offering

22nd February 2017

Mick Elliott

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Future Electronics has signed worldwide distribution agreements with Smartrac and Elatec which enable it to supply customers with a comprehensive choice of NFC, HF and UHF tag ICs and inlays, reader ICs and reader modules. Smartrac is a manufacturer of NFC, HF and UHF inlays. Inlays are tag labels which may be applied to almost any end product or package for data-rich, wireless identification. Germany-based Elatec supplies integrated, certified NFC modules operating in the low-frequency and high-frequency bands.

Smartrac inlays support the high-frequency (13.56MHz) and ultra-high frequency (860-960MHz) bands.

Elatec modules are supplied with standards-compliant protocol firmware supporting all of the more than 50 NFC technologies in use worldwide today.

The new franchise agreements with Smartrac and Elatec supplement Future Electronics’ existing relationships with suppliers of NFC smart tag ICs and NFC reader/writer ICs: NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics and Microchip.

The only broadline components distributor to offer this combination of NFC inlays, ICs and certified modules, Future Electronics can enable customers to find the appropriate product platform for all their NFC needs.

Many customers will benefit from the ability to drop an NFC module, running a verified NFC protocol stack, into an end product design without having to devote any development hours to the design of an antenna circuit, or to certification testing.

Equally, OEMs manufacturing end products in volumes of several thousands or more annually, which might choose to build NFC reader/writer functionality with an NXP, ST or Microchip IC, will be able to benefit from the specialist expertise of Future Electronics’ Future Connectivity Solutions division in their antenna design and in product testing.

The Smartrac NFC/RFID inlay product range includes a broad choice of form factors with RF performance optimized for various end use cases.

Elatec’s NFC product range includes single-frequency reader modules, dual low- and high-frequency reader modules, and combination modules with Bluetooth® Low Energy or smart card reader capabilities. Future Electronics is able immediately to supply Smartrac and Elatec products from stock, for next-day delivery to almost any factory located in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

Amar Abid-Ali, EMEA Vertical Segment Manager for Wireless Connectivity at Future Electronics, said: ‘NFC is hugely exciting for OEMs that want to introduce better ways for users to track products in transit, to authenticate or commission newly purchased products, or to make seamless connections to an internet gateway. I’m confident that many more Future Electronics customers will be able to take advantage of the features of NFC technology now that they can implement complete NFC systems with us, including inlays and modules.’