Motorola Introduces Next Generation Transit Contactless Smart Card
BOLOGNA, Italy--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 31, 2000--
M-Smart Mercury(TM) Raises the Bar With Faster Speeds, Higher Security and a Series of Industry "Firsts"
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) today announced a next generation smart card that raises the bar for contactless cards in transit applications, offering higher security based on the proven DES algorithm, faster transaction speeds, a 70% increase in reading distance, superior multi-application capabilities and ISO standards compatibility. The card will be demonstrated this week at the Union Internationale des Transport Public conference (UITP), an international transit industry conference on automated fare collection.
Called the M-Smart Mercury(TM) MM4000L, the card achieves several "firsts" for the industry: first contactless smart card with built-in DES processor and first to achieve sub-100 millisecond transactions with triple-DES; the first ASIC card to achieve ISO 14443B compatibility, and the first ASIC card to provide options for different memory configurations.
The new card uses a Motorola Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) technology optimized for contactless smart cards. "The use of ASIC technology allowed Motorola to bring features normally found only in higher-priced microprocessor cards into a contactless platform that is cost-effective for high-volume applications like transit," said Mario DiPrizio, director of engineering and product development for the Motorola Worldwide Smartcard Solutions Division (WSSD). "Transit operators are asking us to provide fast and secure transactions and our highly-optimized contactless ASIC technology is a way to achieve this level of price and performance."
The Mercury name reflects the high transaction speed of the cards. The MM4000L is the first card to achieve a major industry milestone of a sub-100 millisecond transaction that includes a three pass mutual authentication using high-assurance triple DES security. Several features of the card interact to set this new performance standard for contactless transit transactions, including the built-in DES engine, block addressing, and high-speed communications. The benchmark is a complete and representative transaction that also includes a read/write of 32 bytes of log data, a write of the common purse value, and completed session confirmation.
It provides 1 Kbyte of secure EEPROM read/write memory. It is the first ASIC card to give users a choice of memory configurations, so users can rapidly configure the best fit for the combination of applications planned. The MM4000L also has another essential feature demanded by transit operators - a full 4" (10 cm) read range that is 70% greater than competitive products. Other built-in features such as advanced key management and automatic four-level deep rollback for interrupted transactions fully support the requirements of transit fare systems and other high-value applications.
The card is the first contactless smart card to include a built-in DES encryption engine, which provides fast processing of proven triple DES security. Until now, contactless cards have had to rely on proprietary security algorithms to obtain a fast transaction speed. The Mercury card has three security options - triple DES, single DES, or pass through - allowing users to choose a speed and transaction complexity that is appropriate for their application.
The MM4000L is the first ASIC card to be compatible with the ISO 14443B standard for high data transfer rate contactless smart cards. This new card further shows Motorola's commitment to lead in the support of the latest standards. In May, Motorola was the first to deliver both Java version 2.1 compatible smart cards and a Visa Open Platform version 2.0 implementation, using the Jupiter platform of RISC-based high-performance contacted smart cards.
In addition to the DES security and eight different memory configurations, the card has other features that position it to support multiple applications. The MM4000L is compatible with the Motorola standard Application Programming Interface (API), the M-Smart Venus(TM) platform of dual-interface smart cards, and also with the existing M-Smart compatible readers. This means that users can develop a single application with one API, and use products from both card families.
The M-Smart Mercury card is part of the complete platform for smart card solution development from Motorola. The systems architecture that lies behind the card includes reader devices, back-office systems, and everything else needed for a complete, multi-application transit solution.
The multi-application and security features create the possibility for new uses of the card, such as the secure re-loading of transit fares over the Internet. Or, transit operators can start with the M-Smart Mercury card for automated fare collection as a first step, and then recruit partners to add applications to the system.
About Motorola Inc.
Motorola, Inc., with sales of $30.9 billion in 1999, is a global leader in providing embedded electronic and integrated communications solutions. Motorola's Worldwide Smartcard Solutions Division (WSSD) provides complete multi-application smart card system solutions including smart cards, application development, systems integration, and operations management. The company's platforms allow organizations to quickly deploy and build multiple-application smart card systems in areas such as transit, access control, campus, government and healthcare. For more information on Motorola, visit www.motorola.com/smartcard.
Motorola, M-Smart, M-Smart Mercury and M-Smart-Venus are trademarks of Motorola, Inc.
CONTACT:
Motorola
Mike Doheny, 847/576-6931
E-mail: mike.doheny@motorola.com |
