Smart Card Alliance

New Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council Reports Address Prepaid Cards for Transit and Cost Considerations for Implementing New Fare Collection Systems

Smart Card Alliance — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:22:00 -0500

Two white papers released today and new 2010 officers and steering committee announced

Princeton Junction, N.J., March 12, 2010–Two new white papers are now available to help transit agencies that are planning to upgrade their fare collection systems, the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council said today, also announcing new officers and steering committee for 2010.

“Transit agencies across the United States are currently upgrading or planning to upgrade their fare collection systems, which is a significant investment. There are many options they have to consider, from the technologies available to the payment approaches to the costs of implementation,” said Craig Roberts, Utah Transit Authority, and chair of the Transportation Council. “The Transportation Council has taken the initiative to provide resources, like these white papers, that can assist transit agencies in making these critical decisions and building a solid, long-term strategy for their transit systems.”

The first white paper, ”Planning for New Fare Payment and Collection Systems: Cost Considerations and Procurement Guidelines,” answers the question: “what are the cost implications associated with fare payment projects?” The white paper presents a conventional approach for planning, conducting a cost analysis, and procuring a new fare payment system or upgrading an existing system. It also provides a Microsoft Excel-based cost model that allows users to input an agency’s current fare payment and fare collection costs and compare them to the costs for proposed alternative systems.

Council members involved in the development of this white paper included: ACS, A Xerox Company; Booz Allen Hamilton; Cubic; The Garback Group; Giesecke & Devrient; INSIDE Contactless; JPMorgan Chase; Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

The second white paper, ”A Guide to Prepaid Cards for Transit Agencies,” provides an overview of the prepaid card industry and the products available, including network-branded prepaid cards. It provides guidance for transit agencies evaluating the feasibility and benefits of using prepaid cards as one element of a fare collection system that includes open loop payment cards.

Council members involved in the development of this white paper included: ACS, A Xerox Company; Connexum Consulting, LLC; Cubic; Discover Financial Services; First Data Corporation; Giesecke & Devrient; JPMorgan Chase; MasterCard Worldwide; MTA New York City Transit; Scheidt & Bachmann; SEPTA; Thales; Utah Transit Authority.

“Because the Transportation Council is made up of experts and stakeholders in the transportation industry, they have the unique expertise to be able to address the broad range of transit agencies’ questions and concerns in the form of extremely valuable, useful tools and publications,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “The industry seems to agree; the Council had more than 6,000 downloads of their publications this past year.”

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council is made up of more than 130 individuals from 59 organizations, including transit agencies, payment brands, financial services providers and technology and service providers. The officers and steering committee for the upcoming year are:

Chair: Craig Roberts, Utah Transit Authority
Vice Chair–Transit: Jerry Kane, SEPTA
Vice Chair–Parking: Ian Newberg, Parkeon
Vice Chair–Tolling: Mike Nash, ACS, A Xerox Company
Doug Deckert, Booz Allen Hamilton
David deKozan, Cubic
Michael Dinning, U.S. Department of Transportation/Volpe Center
Steve Frazzini, NYC Transit
Margaret Free, Giesecke & Devrient
Greg Garback, The Garback Group
Jennifer Garcia, Discover Financial Services
Linh Huynh, INSIDE Contactless
Paul Korczak, Korczak & Associates
Michael Laezza, Thales
Dennis Marshall, Chicago Transit Authority
Mike Meringer, VeriFone
Martin Schroeder, American Public Transportation Association (APTA)
Faye Surrette, MasterCard Worldwide

To download the white papers free of charge, and for more resources from the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council, visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org/pages/activities-councils-transportation.

About the Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council

The Smart Card Alliance Transportation Council is focused on promoting the adoption of interoperable contactless smart card payment systems for transit and other transportation services. The Council is engaged in projects that support applications of smart card use. The overall goal of the Transportation Council is to help accelerate the deployment of standards-based smart card payment programs within the transportation industry.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.

Gemalto's Innovative Machine-to-Machine Solution Receives "2009 SmartGrid Product of the Year"Award from TMC.com

Smart Card Alliance — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:16:00 -0500

Amsterdam, Mar 8, 2010–Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announced that its MASSIM solution has received a 2009 SmartGrid Product of the Year Award from Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) and Intelligent Communications Partners.

Gemalto has developed a unique technological advancement aimed at meeting smart grid service needs. The MASSIM concept is an M2M specific solution specifically designed to detect if a machine-to-machine wireless network subscriber identification module has been removed from a utility meter and placed illegally within another device. This detection ensures the essential connectivity element within the smart grid ecosystem is tamper proof, protecting the utility and wireless operator from fraud. MASSIM is highly customizable with multiple environmental sensing parameters and sends a service provider alert in the event of unexpected change.

“MASSIM is continuously sensing its environment, protecting assets and allowing for tamper proof denial of network access,” said Frédéric Vasnier, SVP Telecom at Gemalto. “We are honored to receive this award recognizing our commitment to advancing the innovation and demanding security needs for machine-to-machine applications and smart grid technologies.”

“SmartGrid.TMCnet.com is pleased to grant a 2009 Product of the Year Award to Gemalto for their MASSIM. Gemalto has proven they are committed to quality and excellence while addressing real needs in the marketplace,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “We’re proud to honor their accomplishments in the advancement of the smart grid technologies.”

The First Annual SmartGrid.TMCnet.com Product of the Year Award winners are featured on the SmartGrid Web site and published in its e-newsletter.

For more information about the 2009 SmartGrid Product of the Year Awards or any of the TMC media properties, please visit http://www.tmcnet.com. For more information about Gemalto’s wireless telecommunication solutions, visit http://www.gemalto.com/telecom.

About Smart Grid

The Smart Grid portal on TMCnet serves as a resource for the rapidly developing technologies that enable and harness Smart Grids, with particular emphasis on applications, products and software for improving residential, business, institutional and facilities’ power consumption.

TMCnet’s Smart Grid Web portal offers free resources for anyone interested in researching, purchasing and applying smart grid technologies. It includes Smart Grid industry news and expert analysis by Jon Arnoldd and Shidan Gouran of Intelligent Communications Partners. Additionally this portal encompasses Global Online Communities and Channels, blogs, feature articles, videos and more. Visitors can be regularly updated on what is happening across a spectrum of organizations involved in hardware, wireless communications for video, phone and data and other niches in the Smart Grid market.

About TMC

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) is a global integrated media company helping our clients build communities in print, in person and online. TMC publishes Customer Interaction Solutions, INTERNET TELEPHONY, Unified Communications, and NGN magazines. TMCnet, TMC’s Web site, is the leading source of news and articles for the communications and technology industries. TMCnet is read by two million unique visitors each month on average worldwide, according to Webtrends. TMCnet has ranked within the top 3,500 in Quantcast’s Top U.S. sites, placing TMCnet in the nation’s top .03% most visited Web sites. In addition, TMC produces INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & EXPO (ITEXPO); SmartGrid Conference and M2M Evolution (in conjunction with Crossfire Media); Digium|Asterisk World (in conjunction with Digium); and Smart Grid Summit (in conjunction with Intelligent Communication Partners). For more information about TMC, visit http://tmcnet.com/.

TMC also serves technology professionals with industry-specific Web sites: http://IT.TMCnet.com, http://4G-wirelessevolution.TMCnet.com, , http://Smart-Grid.TMCnet.com, Smart Products Ecosystem, http://Robotics.TMCnet.com, http://Cable.TMCnet.com, http://Satellite.TMCnet.com, http://Green.TMCnet.com, http://Healthcare.TMCnet.com, and http://Education.TMCnet.com.

For more information about TMC, visit http://www.tmcnet.com.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2009 annual revenues of €1.65 billion, and over 10 thousand employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 41 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information please visit http://www.gemalto.com.

Contacts

Gemalto

Rémi Calvet
Tel: +33 (0) 1 55 01 64 10
Mob: +33 (0) 6 22 72 81 58
E-mail: remi.calvet@gemalto.com

Aline Borne
T.: +33 (0)1 55 01 51 05
M.: +33 (0)6 16 29 87 04
E-mail: aline.borne@gemalto.com

Ray WIZBOWSKI
512-257-3950
ray.wizbowski@gemalto.com

Deb Montner
Montner & Associates
203-226-9290
dmontner@montner.com
Montner & Associates Tech PR Agency

TMC Contact

Jan Pierret
Marketing Manager
203-852-6800, ext. 228
jpierret@tmcnet.com

Oberthur Technologies Receives Product Innovation Award

Smart Card Alliance — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:08:00 -0500

ID-One™ PIV BIO Selected a Winner by Network Products Guide

Chantilly, VA, March 1, 2010–Oberthur Technologies, a global leader in the delivery of high security solutions and the #1 provider of smart credentials to the U.S. Federal government, announced today that Network Products Guide, industry’s leading information technology research and advisory guide, has named ID-One™ PIV BIO a winner of the 2010 Product Innovation Awards. This annually venerated award recognizes and honors vendors, large and small, from all over the world with innovative and ground-breaking products that are bringing essential and incremental changes and are setting the bar higher for others in all areas of information technology.

“Innovation is not just about new products alone,” says Rake Narang, editor-in-chief at Network Products Guide. “To succeed companies need to see innovation not as a one time errand but as something that has to be continuously evolved and improved upon over and over again. It requires putting greater focus on customer needs and making innovation the center of company’s way of developing better solutions. Innovative products such as PIV BIO are bringing improvements in smart card technology by providing enhanced functionality and security features in one card.”

ID-One PIV BIO is a fully compliant physical and logical security access card solution. The PIV BIO solution provides identity proofing, card authentication, digital signature, fingerprint on-card comparison, encryption and secure post issuance management. The card meets FIPS 201 requirements and includes a fingerprint on-card comparison that has been validated by NIST labs to comply with PIV interoperability specifications. It has tamper proof cryptography for enhanced security. To read more about this product innovation, please visit http://www.networkproductsguide.com/innovations/.

“Network Products Guide’s recognition of the multi-award winning ID-One PIV BIO emphasizes again the importance of convergent technology, enhanced privacy features and multi-application credentials,” said Patrick W. Hearn, Oberthur’s VP of Government and Identification Markets for North\Central America. “Our single ID credential for both physical and logical access offers a cost effective and convenient solution for government and non-governmental organizations. Oberthur’s focus on standards-based, secure, proven solutions continues to drive our innovation and helps us create products like PIV BIO.”

Oberthur Technologies is demonstrating ID-One PIV BIO at RSA, the world’s leading information security conferences and exposition, which starts today at the Moscone Center in San Francisco (Booth #2626).

About Network Products Guide Awards

As industry’s leading technology research and advisory guide, Network Products Guide from Silicon Valley plays a vital role in keeping decision makers and end-users informed of the choices they can make in all areas of information technology. You will discover a wealth of information and tools in this guide including the best products and services, roadmaps, industry directions, technology advancements and independent product evaluations that facilitate in making the most pertinent technology decisions impacting business and personal goals. The guide follows conscientious research methodologies developed and enhanced by industry experts. To learn more, visit http://www.networkproductsguide.com.

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies’ strong positioning in its main target markets:

Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets.
Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic - and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.
Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.
Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

Contacts

U.S. Press Contact
Leana Benson Hersch
310 868 1318
l.hersch@oberthur.com

Corporate Press Contact:
Sara Dépagneux
+33 1 55 46 72 00
s.depagneux@oberthur.com

Doctors and First Responders Rely on Oberthur Technologies in Times of Emergency

Smart Card Alliance — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:04:00 -0500

Chantilly, VA, March 1, 2010–Oberthur Technologies, a global leader in the delivery of high security solutions and the #1 provider of smart credentials to the U.S. Federal government, is supplying doctors and first responders with FIPS 201 compliant, physical and logical access Personal Identify Verification (PIV) cards to assist in response to disaster.

The cards, which were first issued by Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) in 2006, were being used by physicians, paramedics and first responders to gain access to emergency facilities and hospitals throughout the San Antonio area. The cards enabled all 35 hospitals in the regional trauma service area to be linked to a comprehensive, web-based database that could be updated daily to confirm card holder identity and emergency response capabilities.

To work with state and Federal agencies, like FEMA, STRAC members recently decided to move to Oberthur Technologies’ ID-One™ Cosmo card, a FIPS-2011 certified dual interface smart card, to ensure interoperability between their region and federal agencies in preparation for emergency and disaster recovery situations.

“Oberthur’s cards allow us to deploy handheld authentication devices at the perimeter of an emergency area to validate the identity of personnel arriving at the scene, regardless of whether they are from the local, state or federal level,” said Eric Epley, Executive Director, STRAC. “This also gives us the ability to identify essential personnel who operate or restore critical infrastructure/ key resources (CI/KR).”

“STRAC’s use of Oberthur’s ID-One Cosmo card is an excellent example of how healthcare professionals and organizations can utilize standards-based smart card technology to enhance services- whether it be responding to an emergency, treating a patient or working with Electronic Health Records,” said Patrick W. Hearn, Oberthur’s VP of Government and Identification Markets–North/Central America. “The creation of proper infrastructure of medical professional authentication with patient authentication is a proven foundational core of an effective and secure Health-IT infrastructure.”

STRAC is the regional trauma and emergency healthcare council for the 22 county region in and around San Antonio called Trauma Service Area P (TSA-P). They issue cards to Paramedics/EMTs, hospital-based physicians, physician-based mid-level practitioners (PAs, NPs, CNSs, etc) and Emergency Management staff.

Oberthur Technologies will be demonstrating their FIPS-201-certified dual interface smart cards at HIMSS, one of the world’s largest healthcare IT exhibitions, in Atlanta (booth #9153) March 1-4.

About Oberthur Technologies

Card Systems: The world’s second largest provider of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets.
Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic - and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.
Security printing: World’s third largest private security printer specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.
Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

Contacts

U.S. Press Contact
Leana Benson Hersch
310 868 1318
l.hersch@oberthur.com

Corporate Press Contact:
Sara Dépagneux
+33 1 55 46 72 00
s.depagneux@oberthur.com

Smart Card Alliance Latin America Announces 2010 Executive Committee

Smart Card Alliance — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 12:39:00 -0500

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., March 2, 2010–The Smart Card Alliance Latin America Chapter (SCALA) today announced its 2010 executive committee including new Chair Fernando Mendez of Visa, Inc. The executive committee leads the organization’s advisory board.

Peers from chapter member organizations chose the executive committee based on their leadership qualities and commitment to supporting SCALA’s efforts in developing the smart card market in Latin America. The new SCALA executive committee is:

Chair - Fernando Mendez, Visa Inc.
Vice Chair - Karina Prado, G&D Burti
Secretary - Humberto de la Vega, HID Global
Observing General Member - Vincent Tenaglia, GET Group
Observing Government Member - Mauricio Augusto Coelho, Instituto Nacional de Tecnologia da Informação (ITI)

“In the five years since we formed SCALA, the Latin American smart card market has undergone dramatic changes, with great progress in the migration to EMV chip payment technology, and more governments beginning secure identity and credentialing initiatives,” said Edgar Betts, associate director of the Smart Card Alliance Latin America Chapter. “SCALA has been there every step of the way, expanding its membership and providing knowledge and awareness of smart cards throughout the region. We are excited for the new executive committee to continue this work driving the progress of the smart card market in Latin America.”

About the Smart Card Alliance Latin America (SCALA)

The primary mission of the Smart Card Alliance Latin American chapter is in line with the overall goal of the Alliance: to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart cards. The Alliance plans to use specific projects such as bilingual education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums to keep Latin American chapter organization members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.

LaserCard Wins Vehicle Registration Card Program in Middle East

Smart Card Alliance — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:09:00 -0500

Extends Footprint in Middle East and Broadens Application of Secure Credential Offering

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 3, 2010–LaserCard Corporation (NASDAQ:LCRD; http://www.lasercard.com), a leading provider of secure ID solutions, has been selected to manufacture and supply vehicle registration cards for a Middle Eastern nation. A recent $850,000 purchase order follows an initial order valued at approximately $560,000 shipped earlier this fiscal year.

This new program expands LaserCard’s footprint in the Middle East, where the Company supplies multi-technology, highly secure national ID cards for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The program also marks LaserCard’s fourth vehicle registration program win, following three successful, ongoing programs for state authorities in India. The new cards are high-quality, durable documents incorporating high-resolution security printing and other innovative features.

This new vehicle registration card program underscores the Company’s continuing drive to address the varied needs of the government ID market, regardless of application and the technologies required. LaserCard also recently announced the award of a specialized, secure certification card program for professional drivers in Hungary.

“We are partnering with governments around the world to provide creative solutions as they upgrade the security of official documentation used in new state and national programs,” said Bob DeVincenzi, President and CEO of LaserCard. “Whether through our customizable multi-technology ID credentials, our tamperproof optical media cards, or our high quality specialty cards, our technology-inclusive capabilities address a broad, diverse range of customer requirements.”

LaserCard’s highly secure, advanced ID credentials are trusted by governments worldwide to protect the personal identification of their citizens, foreign residents and government employees, and to provide official documentation such as driver licenses and vehicle registration cards.

About LaserCard Corporation

LaserCard Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is a leading provider of secure ID solutions to governments and commercial clients worldwide. It develops, manufactures, and integrates LaserCard® optical media cards, multi-technology cards, encoders, peripherals, smart and specialty cards, biometrics, and modular software. The Company’s cards and systems are used in various applications, including citizen identification, border security, government service delivery and facility access.

For further information, please visit http://www.lasercard.com.

For Further information

Ellen Brook or Mary McEvoy Carroll
ebrook@lasercard.com; mmcevoy@lasercard.com
1 650 267 1949 or 1 408 691 4283

Executive Director's Letter - February 2010

Smart Card Alliance — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:10:00 -0500

February 2010 has been an active month on many fronts for the U.S. smart card industry. It has been so busy, we couldn’t stop long enough to get you the February monthly newsletter until early March! What has been so important to keep everyone busy? The answer is summed up in three letters – EMV. Fresh off the heavily viewed webinar (over 317 viewers) that the Smart Card Alliance presented in January, Top Ten Reasons U.S. Should Consider EMV, it seems as if the discussion really started to heat up in February.

The month began with an announcement that some people feared might shake the confidence of the entire payments industry. Read more…

Gemalto and Microsoft to Demonstrate Integrated Forefront Identity Manager and Strong Authentication Solution at RSA Conference 2010

Smart Card Alliance — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:40:00 -0500

AUSTIN, TX, March 2, 2010–Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announced that its Protiva™ Strong Authentication Server is now fully integrated with Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager 2010. Thanks to this combined solution, organizations can provision, deploy and manage smart card-based one-time password devices linked to Gemalto strong authentication server, while using the same Microsoft interface to which they are already accustomed.

Gemalto will be demonstrating the combined solution at the RSA Conference 2010 in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion, booth #1527, and at Gemalto booth #1923.

“Gemalto is always working to strengthen trust in online identities by integrating our two-factor authentication solutions with Microsoft’s identity and access solutions,” said François Lasnier, VP and GM security business unit North America for Gemalto. “Gemalto Strong Authentication Server together with Microsoft Forefront Identity Manager gives organizations a convenient way to add another layer of security to their information systems with smart card-based one time password (OTP) devices. OTP can provide a fast track to strong authentication for enterprises, and then makes it easy for organizations to add PKI-based authentication later, if they choose.”

The integrated solution allows security managers that work with Microsoft identity solutions to implement and manage OTP devices without learning a new interface. They use the Forefront Identity Manager (FIM) portal interface for all of the administrative functions for managing OTP devices, while the Gemalto strong authentication server (SAS) works in the background for authentication. Managers can create or update a Gemalto SAS OTP device record, link the record to the user, and activate the device easily. They can then manage or change access privileges or remove devices using the same Microsoft FIM interface.

“We have worked closely with Gemalto so that organizations using Microsoft solutions to manage network identities have a streamlined way to implement smart card technology to enhance their network security and privacy,” said John Chirapurath, senior director in the Identity and Security Business Group at Microsoft. “It gives our customers the ability to implement strong authentication devices without having to change the way they work day to day. That is what we call Business Ready Security.”

Microsoft employees worldwide use Gemalto .NET smart card technology embedded in their corporate badge to enable secure, two-factor authentication for access to Microsoft’s own information systems. Gemalto is also Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, having demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and a proven ability to meet customers’ needs.

RSA Conference 2010 takes place March 1st through 5th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For more information, visit http://www.rsaconference.com/2010/usa/. More information on Gemalto’s enterprise security solutions can be found at http://www.gemalto.com/enterprise.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries. Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work–anytime, anywhere–has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM), Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, smart card access badges, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years. For more information please visit http://www.gemalto.com.

EMV and Transit Chip Payment Gaining Momentum in U.S.

Smart Card Alliance — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:11:00 -0500

Smart Card Alliance 2010 Payments Summit Highlights

PRINCETON JUNCTION, N.J., MARCH 1, 2010–Contactless payment is now the de facto standard for U.S. transit fare collection systems, and will likely become a principal market driver for the expansion of bank-issued contactless cards. But that is just one of many factors building interest in the United States around chip cards for payments, according to experts presenting at the Smart Card 3rd Annual Payments Summit. The event was held February 23rd–25th, 2010 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Contactless in Transit

Contactless fare systems installed by U.S. transit operators will help pave the way for broader contactless acceptance here and elsewhere in the world.

Charlie Craven, vice president, American Express: “Transit can be a great help to drive acceptance of contactless around the world. Daily use of the cards in transit will help consumers understand the benefits of contactless.” He also cited an American Express study that showed there are 118 contactless or mobile pilots worldwide.
Des Docherty, vice president, Visa, pointed out that in New York City all 13,000 taxicabs accept contactless and over the next few years all of the MTA buses and transit systems will too, concluding: “If I’m a merchant within that footprint, doesn’t it make sense for me now to start implementing?”
Oliver Manahan, vice president, MasterCard: “We have 12 U.S. airports deploying contactless PayPass acceptance.” MasterCard has issued 70 million PayPass cards worldwide, most of them in the U.S.

Representatives from transit agencies in Toronto, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Utah, San Francisco Bay Area, and New York City reported on their current contactless fare collection systems and plans. Steve Frazzini, chief officer of AFC program management, New York City Transit, reported that an expanded open payments pilot that will include New York City Transit, PATH and New Jersey transit is targeted to start mid-year and will include a service area that includes 1.4 million riders.

Mobile Payments

Mobile payments are very exciting to everyone, including retailers, and is regarded as another important driver that will continue expanding the contactless market. Retailers are motivated by the other mobile applications that complement mobile payment such as coupons, loyalty programs and location-based services that drive people into their locations.

Mohammad Khan, ViVOTech: “The Holy Grail will be when tens of millions of NFC mobile phones show up in the U.S. The whole industry will move then. That won’t happen over the next 12 months, but it will absolutely happen over the next 36 months.”
Jennifer Garcia, Discover Financial Services, reported on the successful test of Discover Zip contactless stickers and said there’s no reason to wait for NFC phones: “Our pilot confirmed stickers are a simple and easy bridge solution to the NFC logjam.”
Dave Wentker, head of proximity payments, Visa: “The future of NFC is bright.”

International Traveler EMV Card

Several industry experts predicted that the next U.S. chip-based bank card would be an EMV card for international travelers who increasingly find situations where they cannot use their magnetic stripe card when abroad, particularly in Europe.

Merchant Acceptance

Merchant acceptance of contactless cards today, and their receptiveness to eventually using chip cards for security reasons, were actively discussed topics in several sessions.

Dodd Roberts, president of the Merchant Advisory Group (MAG), an organization of large U.S. retailers, made a strongly reasoned call to action for all of the stakeholders to sit together and finalize a strategy. Focusing on security, Roberts argued that retailers are willing to invest, but what is holding them back is confidence in a technology roadmap that has an end point agreed upon by all the stakeholders.

Putting up a slide that showed a winding U.S. payment technology path that included end-to-end encryption, tokenization, contactless and EMV technology, Roberts said, “You have merchants out here on this road and everyone is in different places and trying to figure out what they invest in, why and when.”

When asked what it would take to get retailers on board, Roberts answered, “If I’m that retailer, I know at some point in the future I have to invest to be EMV capable. I see that as a foregone conclusion. To move that up in my timeline, I’d need to know everyone is on board–here’s the timeline, here’s the roadmap, here’s where you are going and here’s the date.”

Roberts drew parallels to the Program Management Office established by all of the stakeholders in Canada as they planned their migration to EMV. He said it’s a good idea to establish something like that in the U.S., and invited all of the other stakeholders to come together and agree on one plan.

One reason for the step approach was presented succinctly by Robert Carr, CEO of Heartland Payments Systems. Though fully supportive of EMV as the ultimate end point, he argued that the industry can’t get there fast enough, pointing out that Canada’s ‘fast’ EMV implementation took eight years.

Carr has worked toward the goal of making Heartland the most secure payment processor in the world, and has moved toward end-to-end encryption because it is a solution that his company could get to market quickly and unilaterally, though they have tried to make it a standard.

Carr also worked to foster information sharing on attack vectors used by criminals through a new organization he helped to create, the Payments Processing Information Sharing Council. In the past, this information was not shared in the industry, and created a situation where criminals could repeat the same attacks on different organizations. In Carr’s view, being secure should be a competitive advantage, but knowing how criminals are attacking the industry should not be.

The Payments Summit brings together members of the Smart Card Alliance’s Contactless and Mobile Payments Council and Transportation Council. These councils include representatives from transportation authorities, issuing banks and payment brands, retailers, mobile technology suppliers, chip and card manufacturers, terminal manufacturers, payments processors, and transit and payment systems integrators.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.

Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. and Latin America. The Smart Card Alliance also offers the Leadership, Education and Advancement Program (LEAP) and Certified Smart Card Industry Professional (CSCIP) program for individuals who are involved in the smart card industry. For more information please visit http://www.smartcardalliance.org.

EMV and Transit Chip Payment Gaining Momentum in U.S.

Smart Card Alliance — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:11:00 -0500

Smart Card Alliance 2010 Payments Summit Highlights

Contactless in Transit

Contactless fare systems installed by U.S. transit operators will help pave the way for broader contactless acceptance here and elsewhere in the world.

Charlie Craven, vice president, American Express: “Transit can be a great help to drive acceptance of contactless around the world. Daily use of the cards in transit will help consumers understand the benefits of contactless.” He also cited an American Express study that showed there are 118 contactless or mobile pilots worldwide.
Des Docherty, vice president, Visa, pointed out that in New York City all 13,000 taxicabs accept contactless and over the next few years all of the MTA buses and transit systems will too, concluding: “If I’m a merchant within that footprint, doesn’t it make sense for me now to start implementing?”
Oliver Manahan, vice president, MasterCard: “We have 12 U.S. airports deploying contactless PayPass acceptance.” MasterCard has issued 70 million PayPass cards worldwide, most of them in the U.S.

Mobile Payments

Mohammad Khan, ViVOTech: “The Holy Grail will be when tens of millions of NFC mobile phones show up in the U.S. The whole industry will move then. That won’t happen over the next 12 months, but it will absolutely happen over the next 36 months.”
Jennifer Garcia, Discover Financial Services, reported on the successful test of Discover Zip contactless stickers and said there’s no reason to wait for NFC phones: “Our pilot confirmed stickers are a simple and easy bridge solution to the NFC logjam.”
Dave Wentker, head of proximity payments, Visa: “The future of NFC is bright.”

International Traveler EMV Card

Merchant Acceptance

Merchant acceptance of contactless cards today, and their receptiveness to eventually using chip cards for security reasons, were actively discussed topics in several sessions.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to stimulate the understanding, adoption, use and widespread application of smart card technology.