Following Qualcomm's announcement earlier this week that it will market a line of NFC chips next year, semiconductor competitor Broadcom announced its launch of a new certified NFC "quad-combo" solution next year. The chip will combine NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM radio technologies on one chip, an industry first.

"Broadcom is dedicated to expanding its ecosystem of wireless products to stay ahead of ever-shifting demands," said Michael Hurlston, Broadcom senior vice president and general manager. "The introduction of our first NFC combo solution successfully sets up device manufacturers to capitalize on rapid consumer adoption. As the first chip vendor to launch 5G WiFi products that address all market segments, today we are the first and only chip vendor to couple the simplified usability of NFC with the power of 5G WiFi to deliver unprecedented consumer benefits."

Broadcom said the new chips will enable a range of new applications, including simplified device pairing, and will also address the growing mobile retail payments market. The quad-combo will provide a flexible interface with multiple secure element types, meaning that all payment business models will be supported.

The new chip solution will officially debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January with full production set for the first quarter of 2013, the company said.

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