MANHASSET, USA: Russian authorities in the Russian city of Sochi have selected NXP’s contactless microcontroller to power the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system of the city’s ground transportation network during the 2014 Winter Olympics.

NXP's MIFARE Plus is currently in the pilot phase at Sochi, said EE Times.

This will be the first rollout of MIFARE Plus in Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, according to NXP, which said the project, which is currently in the pilot phase, will offer all the benefits associated with a contactless AFC to both passenger and transport operator alike.

MIFARE-based applications will be able to transform NFC mobile phones into transport or entry tickets and can offer a range of sales and distribution, ticketing and validation services from a single device. This means that customers can avoid queuing at ticket counters and will instead be able to access card information from the screen of their NFC mobile phones. The project is an integral part of the city’s preparation for building a truly secure AFC system for the Olympic Games. The city expects that about 400,000 additional visitors will be coming to Sochi in February 2014 for the Olympics.

The project is a significant one for NXP, The company is also reportedly seeing an increase in demand for contactless technology in Russia and the other CIS states. NXP technology is already being used by major operators such as the Moscow Metro.