- Email: [email protected]
Sagem launches TWIC-compliant reader
NEWS
IN BRIEF • LEGIC Identsystems has signed an agreement with Swiss and German-based technology company PP high tech, strengthening its licence partner network. The partnership gives PP high tech access to LEGIC Technology and enables it to market products in the field of contactless identification. End customers are expected to benefit from the partnership through a wider offer of contactless smart cards based on LEGIC technology. • Turkish bank Asya has partnered with MasterCard to launch a contactless toll card. Customers can use their AsyaCard to pay the tolls required to use motorways and bridges that are part of the Kahramanmaras public transportation project, a municipal initiative in Eastern Turkey. Users can also make low value payments at participating merchants by tapping their AsyaCard against specially designed MasterCard PayPass terminals. The card also utilises MasterCard’s two-factor Chip Authentication Programme (CAP), which provides PIN-based verification of cardholders conducting online transactions. • A pre-paid contactless PayPass wrist watch has been unveiled by UK pre-paid card outfit Altair Financial Services. The vendor has teamed with RFID specialist CardPOS Europe, smart card company ID Data and watch maker Laks on the watch, which is capable of supporting offline transaction authorisations. The MasterCard PayPass Watches, which enable users to make low value payments by tapping them against specially-equipped PayPass readers, include a feature for easy to use customer SIM card insertion and withdrawal. • On Track Innovations has announced that it has signed a contract with the electoral commission of an unnamed African country to implement the upgrade of the country’s permanent voter registry, including new biometric-based voter cards. The value of the initial contract is approximately US$2 million, with more than US$1 million expected to be realized in 2008. As part of the contract, OTI will supply its end-toend solution, based on its proprietary Voter ID Registry Magna platform. The company’s Voter ID system provides software for electorate management, a candidate management system, objections & appeals handling and provides biometric voter ID cards to all of the country’s eligible citizens. OTI will also provide mobile enrolment stations, and will incorporate a biometric Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
6
Card Technology Today
its customers with the country’s first ever Visa EMV payment card allowing both contactless and contact-based payment. Cardholders can pay for purchases quickly and conveniently by simply swiping the Visa payWave card across a contactless POS terminal or alternatively inserting it into the slot of a card reader. The dual interface cards are being issued in partnership with the Asian retail group Parkson in China, whose customers can also use them to collect loyalty points. ICBC and Parkson are planning to issue the Peony Parkson credit card to several tens of thousands of bank and retail customers this year. The Chinese subsidiary of the German technology enterprise Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) has been selected to supply the cards to ICBC. “ICBC has a reputation for being one of the earliest adopters of new technology in the Chinese banking world,” said Roland Savoy, Managing Director of G&D China. The chip embedded in the card complies with the EMV standard. The issue of the Peony Parkson card represents an important step towards wide-scale migration of payment cards in China to the international standard for chip-based payment methods. The existing Parkson loyalty program will be expanded, enabling customers to pay and collect points in supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, cinemas, parking lots and gas stations with this card. Contact: Vera Schuh at Giesecke & Devrient, Tel: +49 89 4119 2985, Email: [email protected]
heathcare
Healthy smart card deal for G&D
G
erman health insurer Kaufmännische Krankenkasse (KKH) and 28 corporate health insurance funds have selected German smart card manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) to manufacture and supply around 10 million electronic healthcare cards. The delivery scope includes optical and electronic personalization of the smart cards with individual data relating to the insured persons and their insurers. G&D will also be dispatching the new insurance cards to the insured, with roll-out scheduled to start in January 2009.
KKH chairman Ingo Kailuweit said there had been a Europe-wide call for tenders to find the most suitable supplier. Medical data are highly sensitive, and data protection is a prime consideration in such a project. Importantly, according to KKH, G&D is so far the only manufacturer to have been awarded an IT security certificate by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for cards issued in test regions. The electronic health insurance card will initially store the policyholder’s basic data, such as their name, address, date of birth and health insurance fund, along with details of insurance coverage and the person’s status regarding supplementary charges. A photo of the cardholder provides additional protection against misuse of the card. The new smart card will, in the first instance, be used for electronic prescriptions and is already designed to store a qualified electronic signature that legally and technically replaces the need for users to sign by hand. This feature would make it possible for holders of an electronic healthcare card to identify themselves to authorities in areas such as e-government applications. Insured persons have the option of ordering a “PIN Home Package” from the KKH. This contains a special card reader and software for connection to a home PC. It allows insured persons to check their current basic data or emergency information voluntarily stored on the card at any time. Contact: Daniela Friedrich at Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, Tel: +49 511 2802 1610, Fax: +49 511 2802 1699
government id
Sagem launches TWIC-compliant reader
S
agem Morpho has introduced a TWIC compliant biometric reader, the first smart card access device to meet Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implementation requirements for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The company’s MA521 TWIC is designed to read encrypted biometric data, such as a digital fingerprint, perform the match to the card holder and perform an active card authentication across a contactless interface.
July/August 2008
NEWS (A no-contact interface was required for the TWIC program due to harsh port environments where damp weather can interfere with a traditional magnetic contact strip reader.) Sagem Morpho has started the process of submitting the MA521 TWIC compliant device and technical documentation to TSA for an Initial Capability Evaluation (ICE). TSA was to formally begin TWIC biometric reader evaluations from 21 July with completion expected by January 2009. The reader is designed to ensure that port or vessel access is provided only to workers with authentic TWIC smart cards containing their own unique biometric identification information. Mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, the TWIC program is jointly administered by TSA and the US Coast Guard. The goal of the program is to issue credentials in the form of tamper-resistant
smart cards to the nearly one million longshoremen, sailors, truck drivers and other laborers who need access to secure areas in US port facilities and vessels. TWIC cards and readers must meet Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201), which requires nationwide interoperability to guarantee that biometric identification data can be recognized and verified at any maritime port. TSA has already begun issuing TWIC cards. Each contains a Card Holder Unique Identifier (CHUID), personal information (name, address, employer, etc.) and a Federal Agency Smart Credential Number (FASC-N). Encrypted into the card is a unique digital biometric identifier. This information can only be unlocked, or decrypted, with a privacy key uniquely associated with each individual card. Contact: James Conniff at Sagem Morpho, Tel: +1 703 797 2668, Email: [email protected]
EVENTS CALENDAR 27–29 August 2008 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India SmartCards Expo 2008 Now into its 10th year, this event, which co-locates with e-Security Expo 2008, RFidIndia Expi 2008, Biometrics India Expo 2008 and e-Payments India Expo 2008, will examine the rapid growth in the Indian smart card market and look at the many applications to which it is being applied. Web: www.electronicstoday.org
23–25 September 2008 Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida, US Biometric Consortium Conference and Technology Expo With an estimated 100 speakers, this is one of the largest shows in the biometric calendar, and focuses on biometric technologies for homeland security, identity management, border crossing, eCommerce and other applications. The topics have been designed for a wide audience including policy developers and decision makers, government and industry executives, IT users and developers, CEOs, CTOs and product managers, law enforcement officials, system integrators, government, industry and academia researchers as well as end-users. Contact: J Spargo and Associates, Tel: +1 703 631 6200, Email: [email protected], Web: www.biometrics.org
21–23 October 2008 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK Biometrics 2008 Organised by CTT’s sister publication, Biometric Technology Today, this year’s event promises to be a great meeting ground for users, suppliers and developers of biometric-based products. As usual, the event will feature a conference from 21–23 October, and an exhibition from 22–23 October.
July/August 2008
Contact: Michael McCarthy, Tel: +44 207 611 4358, Email: [email protected], Web: www.biometrics.elsevier.com
4–6 November 2008 Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, France Cartes 2008 The world’s largest smart card and identification show opens its doors once again in Paris with an anticipated 520 exhibitors and 20 000 expected visitors from across the world. Contact: Sophie Lubet, Show Manager, Email: [email protected]
18–20 November 2008 The Venetian, Macau GSMA Mobile Asia Congress The place to see the latest technologies and industry developments in the mobile world. This is a popular event for buyers and decision makers from influential markets such as China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, India, The Philippines and Australia. Contact: GSMA Mobile Asia Congress, Tel: +852 2593 1286, Email [email protected]
26–27 March 2009 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK Security Document World 2009 Now into its third year, this international show will continue its focus on advanced security documents, border control, e-ID, registered traveller and also has a special focus on anti-counterfeiting technologies. The event is designed for all those involved in the ePassport, visa, e-ID, driving license, registered traveller, law enforcement, digital identity, employee ID, security printing, biometric and smart card industries. Contact: Pam Chattin at Science Media Partners, Tel: +44 1322 663006, Email: [email protected]
IN BRIEF • Extending its previously announced series C funding round, INSIDE Contactless has added Samsung Ventures America to its active investor community, which now includes the world’s top three handset manufacturers. Samsung Ventures’ participation builds upon investments from Nokia Growth Partners, Motorola Ventures and other institutional investors, providing a total of nearly US$42 million to allow the company to accelerate its international presence and broaden its product portfolio. • A new CHIPDRIVE contactless time recording solution designed for small and medium sized businesses has been introduced by SCM Microsystems. CHIPDRIVE Time Recording Touch & Go allows employees to clock-in, clock-out and record time spent on specific projects with a touch of the CHIPDRIVE user chip token to the time recording terminal, eliminating the need to carry and swipe time cards. The small user chip tokens can also be used as key fobs. Data from the user chip tokens is transferred to the network-connected Touch & Go terminal (CD0920 DI) via contactless MIFARE technology. The terminal transfers all employee time data directly to the server and incorporates a dual interface that accommodates both use chip tokens and smart cards. • Aconite, a UK-based provider of EMV and smart card software, has agreed to acquire Datacard Group’s Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management System, in return for an equity stake in Aconite and future royalties. Affina Smart Cards system includes two platforms, Affina Enterprise and Affina Issuance, which includes data preparation software, personalisation manager software and profiles and scripting software. Under the agreement signed by Aconite and Datacard, Affina Issuance will remain with Datacard while Aconite will become its authorised distributor. Additionally, Datacard will become a global non-exclusive reseller for Aconite systems. • O2Micro has received smart card patent continuation for its Smart Card Virtual Hub invention; a continuation of the invention issued December 2005 under patent number 6 978 335. This patented hub enables computer systems with smart card based security applications through a preferred USB interface. The integrated architecture utilizes USB protocols to communicate with the smart card, without consuming a USB port on the target system.
Card Technology Today
7
IN BRIEF • LEGIC Identsystems has signed an agreement with Swiss and German-based technology company PP high tech, strengthening its licence partner network. The partnership gives PP high tech access to LEGIC Technology and enables it to market products in the field of contactless identification. End customers are expected to benefit from the partnership through a wider offer of contactless smart cards based on LEGIC technology. • Turkish bank Asya has partnered with MasterCard to launch a contactless toll card. Customers can use their AsyaCard to pay the tolls required to use motorways and bridges that are part of the Kahramanmaras public transportation project, a municipal initiative in Eastern Turkey. Users can also make low value payments at participating merchants by tapping their AsyaCard against specially designed MasterCard PayPass terminals. The card also utilises MasterCard’s two-factor Chip Authentication Programme (CAP), which provides PIN-based verification of cardholders conducting online transactions. • A pre-paid contactless PayPass wrist watch has been unveiled by UK pre-paid card outfit Altair Financial Services. The vendor has teamed with RFID specialist CardPOS Europe, smart card company ID Data and watch maker Laks on the watch, which is capable of supporting offline transaction authorisations. The MasterCard PayPass Watches, which enable users to make low value payments by tapping them against specially-equipped PayPass readers, include a feature for easy to use customer SIM card insertion and withdrawal. • On Track Innovations has announced that it has signed a contract with the electoral commission of an unnamed African country to implement the upgrade of the country’s permanent voter registry, including new biometric-based voter cards. The value of the initial contract is approximately US$2 million, with more than US$1 million expected to be realized in 2008. As part of the contract, OTI will supply its end-toend solution, based on its proprietary Voter ID Registry Magna platform. The company’s Voter ID system provides software for electorate management, a candidate management system, objections & appeals handling and provides biometric voter ID cards to all of the country’s eligible citizens. OTI will also provide mobile enrolment stations, and will incorporate a biometric Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS).
6
Card Technology Today
its customers with the country’s first ever Visa EMV payment card allowing both contactless and contact-based payment. Cardholders can pay for purchases quickly and conveniently by simply swiping the Visa payWave card across a contactless POS terminal or alternatively inserting it into the slot of a card reader. The dual interface cards are being issued in partnership with the Asian retail group Parkson in China, whose customers can also use them to collect loyalty points. ICBC and Parkson are planning to issue the Peony Parkson credit card to several tens of thousands of bank and retail customers this year. The Chinese subsidiary of the German technology enterprise Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) has been selected to supply the cards to ICBC. “ICBC has a reputation for being one of the earliest adopters of new technology in the Chinese banking world,” said Roland Savoy, Managing Director of G&D China. The chip embedded in the card complies with the EMV standard. The issue of the Peony Parkson card represents an important step towards wide-scale migration of payment cards in China to the international standard for chip-based payment methods. The existing Parkson loyalty program will be expanded, enabling customers to pay and collect points in supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, cinemas, parking lots and gas stations with this card. Contact: Vera Schuh at Giesecke & Devrient, Tel: +49 89 4119 2985, Email: [email protected]
heathcare
Healthy smart card deal for G&D
G
erman health insurer Kaufmännische Krankenkasse (KKH) and 28 corporate health insurance funds have selected German smart card manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient (G&D) to manufacture and supply around 10 million electronic healthcare cards. The delivery scope includes optical and electronic personalization of the smart cards with individual data relating to the insured persons and their insurers. G&D will also be dispatching the new insurance cards to the insured, with roll-out scheduled to start in January 2009.
KKH chairman Ingo Kailuweit said there had been a Europe-wide call for tenders to find the most suitable supplier. Medical data are highly sensitive, and data protection is a prime consideration in such a project. Importantly, according to KKH, G&D is so far the only manufacturer to have been awarded an IT security certificate by the German Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) for cards issued in test regions. The electronic health insurance card will initially store the policyholder’s basic data, such as their name, address, date of birth and health insurance fund, along with details of insurance coverage and the person’s status regarding supplementary charges. A photo of the cardholder provides additional protection against misuse of the card. The new smart card will, in the first instance, be used for electronic prescriptions and is already designed to store a qualified electronic signature that legally and technically replaces the need for users to sign by hand. This feature would make it possible for holders of an electronic healthcare card to identify themselves to authorities in areas such as e-government applications. Insured persons have the option of ordering a “PIN Home Package” from the KKH. This contains a special card reader and software for connection to a home PC. It allows insured persons to check their current basic data or emergency information voluntarily stored on the card at any time. Contact: Daniela Friedrich at Kaufmännische Krankenkasse, Tel: +49 511 2802 1610, Fax: +49 511 2802 1699
government id
Sagem launches TWIC-compliant reader
S
agem Morpho has introduced a TWIC compliant biometric reader, the first smart card access device to meet Transportation Security Administration (TSA) implementation requirements for the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program. The company’s MA521 TWIC is designed to read encrypted biometric data, such as a digital fingerprint, perform the match to the card holder and perform an active card authentication across a contactless interface.
July/August 2008
NEWS (A no-contact interface was required for the TWIC program due to harsh port environments where damp weather can interfere with a traditional magnetic contact strip reader.) Sagem Morpho has started the process of submitting the MA521 TWIC compliant device and technical documentation to TSA for an Initial Capability Evaluation (ICE). TSA was to formally begin TWIC biometric reader evaluations from 21 July with completion expected by January 2009. The reader is designed to ensure that port or vessel access is provided only to workers with authentic TWIC smart cards containing their own unique biometric identification information. Mandated by the Maritime Transportation Security Act, the TWIC program is jointly administered by TSA and the US Coast Guard. The goal of the program is to issue credentials in the form of tamper-resistant
smart cards to the nearly one million longshoremen, sailors, truck drivers and other laborers who need access to secure areas in US port facilities and vessels. TWIC cards and readers must meet Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201), which requires nationwide interoperability to guarantee that biometric identification data can be recognized and verified at any maritime port. TSA has already begun issuing TWIC cards. Each contains a Card Holder Unique Identifier (CHUID), personal information (name, address, employer, etc.) and a Federal Agency Smart Credential Number (FASC-N). Encrypted into the card is a unique digital biometric identifier. This information can only be unlocked, or decrypted, with a privacy key uniquely associated with each individual card. Contact: James Conniff at Sagem Morpho, Tel: +1 703 797 2668, Email: [email protected]
EVENTS CALENDAR 27–29 August 2008 Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India SmartCards Expo 2008 Now into its 10th year, this event, which co-locates with e-Security Expo 2008, RFidIndia Expi 2008, Biometrics India Expo 2008 and e-Payments India Expo 2008, will examine the rapid growth in the Indian smart card market and look at the many applications to which it is being applied. Web: www.electronicstoday.org
23–25 September 2008 Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, Florida, US Biometric Consortium Conference and Technology Expo With an estimated 100 speakers, this is one of the largest shows in the biometric calendar, and focuses on biometric technologies for homeland security, identity management, border crossing, eCommerce and other applications. The topics have been designed for a wide audience including policy developers and decision makers, government and industry executives, IT users and developers, CEOs, CTOs and product managers, law enforcement officials, system integrators, government, industry and academia researchers as well as end-users. Contact: J Spargo and Associates, Tel: +1 703 631 6200, Email: [email protected], Web: www.biometrics.org
21–23 October 2008 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK Biometrics 2008 Organised by CTT’s sister publication, Biometric Technology Today, this year’s event promises to be a great meeting ground for users, suppliers and developers of biometric-based products. As usual, the event will feature a conference from 21–23 October, and an exhibition from 22–23 October.
July/August 2008
Contact: Michael McCarthy, Tel: +44 207 611 4358, Email: [email protected], Web: www.biometrics.elsevier.com
4–6 November 2008 Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre, France Cartes 2008 The world’s largest smart card and identification show opens its doors once again in Paris with an anticipated 520 exhibitors and 20 000 expected visitors from across the world. Contact: Sophie Lubet, Show Manager, Email: [email protected]
18–20 November 2008 The Venetian, Macau GSMA Mobile Asia Congress The place to see the latest technologies and industry developments in the mobile world. This is a popular event for buyers and decision makers from influential markets such as China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan, India, The Philippines and Australia. Contact: GSMA Mobile Asia Congress, Tel: +852 2593 1286, Email [email protected]
26–27 March 2009 Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster, London, UK Security Document World 2009 Now into its third year, this international show will continue its focus on advanced security documents, border control, e-ID, registered traveller and also has a special focus on anti-counterfeiting technologies. The event is designed for all those involved in the ePassport, visa, e-ID, driving license, registered traveller, law enforcement, digital identity, employee ID, security printing, biometric and smart card industries. Contact: Pam Chattin at Science Media Partners, Tel: +44 1322 663006, Email: [email protected]
IN BRIEF • Extending its previously announced series C funding round, INSIDE Contactless has added Samsung Ventures America to its active investor community, which now includes the world’s top three handset manufacturers. Samsung Ventures’ participation builds upon investments from Nokia Growth Partners, Motorola Ventures and other institutional investors, providing a total of nearly US$42 million to allow the company to accelerate its international presence and broaden its product portfolio. • A new CHIPDRIVE contactless time recording solution designed for small and medium sized businesses has been introduced by SCM Microsystems. CHIPDRIVE Time Recording Touch & Go allows employees to clock-in, clock-out and record time spent on specific projects with a touch of the CHIPDRIVE user chip token to the time recording terminal, eliminating the need to carry and swipe time cards. The small user chip tokens can also be used as key fobs. Data from the user chip tokens is transferred to the network-connected Touch & Go terminal (CD0920 DI) via contactless MIFARE technology. The terminal transfers all employee time data directly to the server and incorporates a dual interface that accommodates both use chip tokens and smart cards. • Aconite, a UK-based provider of EMV and smart card software, has agreed to acquire Datacard Group’s Affina Enterprise Smart Card Management System, in return for an equity stake in Aconite and future royalties. Affina Smart Cards system includes two platforms, Affina Enterprise and Affina Issuance, which includes data preparation software, personalisation manager software and profiles and scripting software. Under the agreement signed by Aconite and Datacard, Affina Issuance will remain with Datacard while Aconite will become its authorised distributor. Additionally, Datacard will become a global non-exclusive reseller for Aconite systems. • O2Micro has received smart card patent continuation for its Smart Card Virtual Hub invention; a continuation of the invention issued December 2005 under patent number 6 978 335. This patented hub enables computer systems with smart card based security applications through a preferred USB interface. The integrated architecture utilizes USB protocols to communicate with the smart card, without consuming a USB port on the target system.
Card Technology Today
7