Card Technology articles from October 2000

Card Technology archives from October 2000

From the Editor.
October 5, 2000... Dear Reader, As smart cards become more sophisticated, they are being used in new ways in various parts of the world. In this issue alone, we report on how mobile phone operators in Europe and Asia use chip cards to compete in a hot...

A Big Step In A Key Market For Chip.
October 5, 2000... When American Express Co. launched the first chip-based credit card in the United States in September 1999, observers predicted that AmEx's big competitors, Visa International and MasterCard International, would be forced to counter with...

Striving To Match The Paper Euro.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... The euro will replace 12 national currencies by July 1, 2002, a date that has not been lost on banking associations and other organizations backing standards that allow electronic purse cards to work across borders. ''How are we going to...

Chicago Transit Moves To Chip Cards.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... The Chicago Transit Authority took the first step toward retiring its magnetic-stripe fare cards in August when it began sales of its Smart Card, a contactless chip-based fare card that works on all Chicago subway and elevated rail lines and...

In Brief.
October 5, 2000... American Express launches UK smart cards: American Express Co., which last month launched a chip-based Green charge card in the United Kingdom, says it may eventually allow consumers to use the cards for more secure shopping on the Internet,...

Chip Makers Double Chip Memory-Again.
October 5, 2000... Intel Corp. co-founder Gordon Moore did not have smart cards in mind when he observed that the number of transistors on a chip doubles every 18 months. But the smart card industry has been writing a corollary to Moore's Law the past few...

The Last Shall Be First.
October 5, 2000... An Indian state government suffering with an antiquated paper-based driver's license system has made a giant leap into the 21st century. When it comes to combining smart cards and biometrics, few have done it on the scale of Gujarat. ...

Smart Cards Go Corporate.
October 5, 2000... A handful of big corporations have tossed out their old photo ID cards and given employees multifunction smart cards instead. The added security and convenience could make this a trend. Out of every 100 Web sites that restrict access, 99...

Smart Cards Meet The Future In Finland.
October 5, 2000... Early adopters of smart cards, Finns have also embraced mobile phones and the Internet with a passion. Now Finland is combining chip cards with mobile and Web-based services in ways that might give other countries a glimpse into the future....

Brazil Sets The Pace For Latin America.
October 5, 2000... The world's fifth-largest nation is one of the leaders in converting credit and debit cards to smart cards. Brazil also is showing the way forward for Latin America with chip cards programs in such fields as transit, loyalty, health and food...

Other Latin American Countries Are Poised To Follow Brazil's Lead.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... Mexico appears likely to be the second Latin American country to convert its magnetic-stripe payment cards to smart cards. Colombia, Venezuela and possibly Peru are next in line, observers say. The main motivator is fraud reduction....

The Key To The City Is On A Chip Card.
October 5, 2000... The European Union aims to pave the way for the issuance of multiapplication "city cards" that will provide access to a variety of services in a given locality. Pilot projects underway will show whether government and private issuers can...

Coming Soon To A City Near You: City Cards Slowly Gain Ground in North America.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... European city cards are being promoted by the European Union as a way to make municipal government more efficient. In North America, there is no comparable government-backed initiative promoting the concept of a single card that consumers can...

France T0l0com Offers Consumers A New Way To Pay.
October 5, 2000... France T0l0com Mobiles, the country's largest GSM cellular phone operator, believes customers will reach often for their chip-based Cartes Bancaires charge cards when they want to make purchases on the run, says Jean-Franois Arnod, product...

Blue's Beauty Is In The Minds Of Its Cardholders.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... The good news for smart cards is that the first big chip card program in the United States is a success. The not-so-good news is that few holders of the Blue card from American Express use the features embedded in the card's chip. While...

Smart Cards And The Wireless Revolution.
October 5, 2000... As the Internet increasingly becomes unplugged, banks, telcos and other businesses are speeding their goods and services to the wireless marketplace. They seem likely to call upon smart cards for security and, perhaps, the means of payment....

Card Makers Promote Their Version Of The Mobile Browser.(Brief Article)
October 5, 2000... With Web-enabled WAP phones laboring under the burdens of too little supply and too much hype from handset manufacturers, smart card makers see a chance to seize a sizable chunk of the mobile browser market. The industry's five major...

Banks And Brokers Make A Run At The Mobile Market.
October 5, 2000... Most people got along fine without automated teller machines. Now many consumers would not know what to do without them. A growing number of financial institutions are banking that the same will be true for mobile phones and other...

Where There's A Web, There's A Way.
October 5, 2000... U.S. consumers love the Web. And five companies are hoping they will love it even more when they learn how smart cards can make the Internet safer, more convenient and more lucrative Searchers for the breakthrough application for smart...