Card Technology articles from April 2004

Card Technology archives from April 2004

Card Technology Goes Global-And Vertical.
April 1, 2004... Technology leaps across the globe in this Internet age. And that's as true for cards as any other industry. Card Technology in the past month has taken two big steps to address the global audience that needs the latest news about smart cards...

What Target's Retreat Means For U.S. Smart Cards.
April 1, 2004... In the late 1990s, it was stored value that was going to drive smart cards in the United States. When Visa International and MasterCard International gave up on that concept after disappointing tests, the next savior was the Internet. That was...

E-Signatures Get A Push In Germany.
April 1, 2004... The German federal government recently published its latest e-government roadmap, "Information Society Germany 2006," which renews its commitment to deliver as many services as possible over the Internet, secured with digital signatures. And...

Card Technology Calendar.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... April 21-23: Cards Asia 2004, Singapore Organized by Terrapinn For more information, contact Stella Tan at: Telephone: +65 6322-2756 Fax: +65 6226-3264 E-mail: stella.tanterrapinn.com Web site:...

Regional News.(Near Field Communication Forum)
April 1, 2004... EUROPE Nokia Lends Its Touch To A New Technology: Nokia Corp., the world's leading mobile phone manufacturer, joined forces last month with two big consumer electronics companies to promote technology allowing easy exchange of data between...

Online Banking With Smart Cards: UBS Bank of Switzerland is among the first banks to exploit the security features of smart cards to make Internet banking safer. This could point the way for other European banks, as they begin to roll out chip-based EMV cards.(UBS AG)(Europay, Mastercard and Visa)
April 1, 2004... Many banks require their customers to enter a user name and password to gain access to their accounts via the Web. But growing fears about fraud and ID theft have convinced some banks to look for a better way to authenticate the identities of...

Japan Prepares To Move On Mobile Commerce.
April 1, 2004... Tokyo Japan's innovative mobile network operators have turned their attention of late toward mobile commerce. At least one of the major operators here plans to allow customers to make purchases with their handsets using a credit card...

A Mini-SIM With A Big Future.(subscriber identity module)
April 1, 2004... Before the end of the year, the first mobile network operator could begin issuing SIM cards in the new "mini" format. And in the next few years, a large percentage of SIM cards issued by operators worldwide will come in the new format, say...

Flash Memory Is Tapped For High-End SIMs.(Subscriber Identity Module)
April 1, 2004... While flash memory has been talked about for years as a possible replacement to industry standard memory on smart card chips, all of the major card vendors are now preparing for this shift, especially for their future high-end subscriber...

SIM Briefs: TIM's Multimedia Strategy.(Telecom Italia Mobile S.p.A)(Subscriber Identity Module)
April 1, 2004... Even as it prepares to launch the industry's first 1 megabyte SIM card, Telecom Italia Mobile has joined the MultiMediaCard Association, the first mobile network operator to do so, says the association. MMCs, like other removable flash...

EAP-SIM On Slow Track.(standards for subscriber identification modules)
April 1, 2004... While the SIM card may well become a popular token for securely authenticating users to wireless LANs and allowing them to seamlessly roam to other Wi-Fi networks, the cards likely won't follow a much ballyhooed new standard for at least two or...

SIM Briefs: Operators Centralize Purchasing.(subscriber identity module)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... France-based Oberthur Card Systems says it is the industry's only supplier of subscriber identity module cards to the six largest GSM operator groups. Oberthur declined to name the groups, but a source confirmed the list includes Vodafone,...

SIM Briefs: Spain's Telefonica Launches 128K SIM.(subscriber identity module)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... Telefonica Moviles Espana, Spain's largest mobile network operator, is the latest operator to disclose it has ordered subscriber identity module cards with 128 kilobytes of memory for applications and data. The mobile carrier, flagship of...

Chinese Operator To Launch Dual-Mode SIM.(subscriber identity module )
April 1, 2004... China Unicom, China's No. 2 mobile network operator group, plans this summer to issue what may be the world's first dual-mode SIM card combining GSM and CDMA applications for use with dual-mode handsets. The operator, unlike its larger...

Smart Cards - Your Passport to the Future.
April 1, 2004... Recent terrorist activities have put security right at the top of political agendas across the world. Especially since 9/11, both governments and industry have been looking for new ways to ensure that air travel is safe and secure. A prime...

I'm Ships Java Card.(I'm Technologies)
April 1, 2004... Singapore-based SIM card supplier I'm Technologies says it has begun shipping its first Java-based SIMs, making it one of the few Asian-based vendors selling smart cards bearing the Java Card software platform. I'm began shipping the cards...

SIM Cards Help Keep Filipino Thumbs Busy.(subscriber identification modules)
April 1, 2004... The Philippines is the SMS capital of the world, and SIM toolkit generates a substantial number of those text messages. That's according to Ferdinand M. de la Cruz, head of the Wireless Business Group for Globe Telecom, one of the two large...

Network Security Made Easy - Or Easier.
April 1, 2004... For millions of corporate employees, the daily ritual of logging on to a network with a user name and password is as familiar as grabbing a cup of coffee. But fears over increasing fraud rates and ID theft are beginning to convince a growing...

ID Focus Briefs.(contracts of Canadian Air Transport Security Authority)(Acme Future Security Controls Inc.)(PACT family of terminals)(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority has awarded Canada-based Acme Future Security Controls Inc. the systems integration contract for a test of a new airport worker ID card. The Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) will undergo...

Instant Gratification At The Point Of Sale.(smart cards and loyalty programs)
April 1, 2004... Many coffee shops give paper loyalty cards to their customers who take it out of their wallets to be punched with each purchase. After 10 punches, the cardholder receives a free coffee-and a new paper card. While such programs may boost the...

Shanghai's "Unavoidable" Loyalty Program.(SmartClub)
April 1, 2004... Sometimes a magnetic stripe card makes sense for a loyalty program, and other times a chip card. And sometimes you don't need a card at all. That's the route SmartClub is taking with a coalition loyalty program rolling out this year in...

Taiwan Has Plenty Of EMV Terminals, But Few Cards.(Europay, Mastercard and Visa)
April 1, 2004... In Taiwan, the planned rollout of chip-based credit cards that comply with international EMV standards has hit a small snag-fraud has dropped precipitously the past few years. Better law enforcement by police and fraud-detection software...

Payment Briefs.(introduction of biometric payment system )(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... MasterCard International last month named Alexander Labak president of MasterCard Europe, succeeding Peter Hoch, who is retiring in July after leading the integration of MasterCard and Europay International. Labak, 41, chief marketing officer...

The New Look In US Government Smart Cards: When it comes to enterprises, they don't get much bigger than the U.S. government. With the government embracing smart cards in a big way, it is carving out policies and shaping technologies that will have a global impact. Here are seven key areas to watch.
April 1, 2004... The U.S. Department of Defense's rollout of more than 4 million smart card IDs has taken its place in the annals of groundbreaking chip cards projects along with French banking cards and Hong Kong's Octopus transit card. But DoD's much-heralded...

Milestones In The U.S. Government's Smart Card Program.(Brief Article)(Calendar)
April 1, 2004... 1996 General Services Administration tasked with coordinating government smart card programs. 1997 President's budget outlines goal of every employee using a single smart card for travel, small purchases and building access. ...

A New How-To Manual For Smart Cards.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2004... In its report to Congress last year, the General Accounting Office urged the General Services Administration, which coordinates U.S. government smart card programs, to update its smart card guidelines issued in 2000. In response, GSA last...