Card Technology articles from December 2003

Card Technology archives from December 2003

The Industry Loses A Leader.
December 1, 2003... In the movies, reporters often meet in parking garages or back alleys with sources who whisper desperate secrets after imploring the reporter not to reveal their identity. That may happen in real life. But I can't say I've had that experience...

NTT DoCoMo And Sony Team Up On M-Commerce.
December 1, 2003... Japan's NTT DoCoMo proved the mobile Internet could be a ringing success, at least on its home turf. Now the country's largest wireless network operator, along with Japanese consumer electronics and entertainment giant Sony Corp., has set its...

Java Card Scores Well In 'Plugtest'.(identification cards)
December 1, 2003... Java Card has come a long way in the past two years. Back in 2001, the first-ever "Plugtest" of the interoperability of Java-based subscriber identity module cards sponsored by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute drew just...

A Partnership Of Japanese Heavyweights.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... Joint venture: FeliCa Networks Inc., Tokyo Capital: About 6 billion yen (US$55 million) Ownership: Sony Corp. 60%, NTT DoCoMo, 40% President: Soichi Kawachi Employees: About 90 Business: Develop and produce mobile FeliCa...

Industry Briefs.
December 1, 2003... Alliances UK-based Dione says U.S.-based NCR Corp. will provide support for Dione terminals in several countries. Dione is expanding into such new markets as India, Brazil and the United States, with its low-cost Xtreme...

Regional News.
December 1, 2003... Asia/Pacific Chinese Schools Roll Out Smart Labels: About 6,000 colleges and universities in China plan to affix contactless "smart labels" to the back of more than 8 million student ID cards to reduce card fraud at railway stations where...

Is The End In Sight For Passwords?
December 1, 2003... The proliferation of mobile phones and the move to smart cards offer new ways to replace the notoriously insecure password as the main way individuals authenticate themselves on the Internet. There are two fundamental problems with the way...

Delivering SIM Services Over The Air.
December 1, 2003... SIM toolkit vendors promise "dynamic SIM toolkit," a.k.a. "OTA engines," will help operators rev up revenues. But questions remain about interoperability and how the new products stack up against SIM-based browsers. For some years now, GSM...

Online Security Is Still A Tough Sell.
December 1, 2003... Two years ago, authenticating online shoppers was a hot topic. Internet fraud was already costing $3 billion a year and growing, said U.S.-based Meridien Research. Meanwhile, such big technology companies as Microsoft and AOL Time Warner...

Smart Cards Plus SecureCode.(Barclaycard)(MasterCard International Inc.)
December 1, 2003... Until now, consumers have used passwords to authenticate themselves to Visa and MasterCard's security systems. When she enrolls, the cardholder authenticates herself to her issuer and chooses a password. Thereafter, when making a purchase...

2004: Brighter Days Ahead?
December 1, 2003... Smart cards are gaining momentum in banking, government ID, transit and in the well-established mobile phone sector. What are the key projects and decision points to look for in the coming year? If the smart card industry was plagued by...

Smart card shipments, 2001-2004 (in millions).(Brief Article)(Illustration)
December 1, 2003... Memory Microprocessor Year cards cards Total 2001 1105.3 679.8 1785.1 2002 1060.75 845.2 1906.0 2003 1079.6 953.3 2032.9 2004* ...

The More, The Messier.(public tansit cards)
December 1, 2003... Many cities around the world want to introduce a single contactless chip card system that riders can use on all forms of transit in the region. San Francisco's experience shows that it's easier said than done. As cities across the...

TransLink At A Glance.(Brief Article)
December 1, 2003... * Description Dual-interface smart card with contact and contactless capabilities that commuters will use to pay fares on six San Francisco Bay Area transit agencies. TransLink will eventually extend to all 27 transit operators in the region....