atsec certifies Codebench for FIPS 201 certification

atsec information security, a laboratory for the GSA FIPS 201 Evaluation Program which runs a product approval program for PIV-related products, has announced the successful GSA FIPS 201 evaluation of four Codebench products. Codebench is the first company with solutions evaluated for GSA product categories Caching Status Proxy, PIV Authentication System, and CHUID Authentication System. Codebench’s PIVCheck Plus Desktop Edition with PIVCheck Certificate Manager, PIVCheck Plus Mobile Edition with PIVCheck Certificate Manager and PIVCheck Desktop Edition (both the SCVP Client and PIV Authentication System) were tested and evaluated in atsec’s Austin, Texas lab. As a result of its evaluation, atsec has determined that Codebench’s products meet FIPS 201 requirements on behalf of GSA, who ultimately grants the approval. These products are now listed on the FIPS 201 Evaluation program Approved Product List, which only lists those products and services that are in compliance with the current version of the standard and its supporting NIST Special Publication 800-116, which provides recommendations for the Use of PIV credentials in physical access control systems.

Juniper: mobile ticketing set to take off by 2014

Juniper Research has just published a report predicting “massive growth” for mobile ticketing by 2014, according to Mobile Marketing Watch. The report states that some 15 billion mobile tickets will be in use by 2014, compared to the current mark of 2 million. As of now, the Far East and China regions are leading the way in mobile ticketing, but Juniper predicts that Western Europe will take the lead by 2014, due to advancements in device integration. The report also predicts that in the next few years mobile ticketing will break out of the transportation industry and into entertainment, with cinema chains, sports teams and major concert venues offering the new technology. Juniper cites NFC technology as the main catalyst for the predicted growth because it significantly reduces the steps between purchasing the ticket and receiving it. According to Juniper, once more devices in the west are integrated with NFC, we’ll see mobile ticketing go mainstream in a big way. Read more here

Adelaide announces plans for contactless transit system

Adelaide, Australia has announced plans to implement a smart card transit system by 2013, according to adelaidenow.com.au. Transport Minister Patrick Conlon made the announcement today, putting the $30 million project in the hands of ATLAS, which has installed similar systems in Houston and Montreal. With the new system, passengers can add money to smart cards as needed and wave them in front of an on-board terminal to pay for a ride. According to Conlon, paper tickets and magnetic cards will still be accepted on public transport after the contactless overhaul. Read more here.

Hungary deploys first contactless payment cards

The OTP Bank of Hungary has announced the country’s first rollout of MasterCard PayPass contactless cards, according to realdeal.hu. OTP, the largest bank in Hungary, plans to issue 15,000 PayPass cards this year, with 350 points of sale available by the end of October. The cards will be good for contactless purchases of HUF 3,000 ($15) or less at fast food restaurants, cafes, movie theaters and bookstores in Budapest. Read more here.

Visa Europe to invest $273 million in contactless payment

Visa Europe has announced plans to spend more than $273 million on R&D for contactless payments via card and mobile device, according to nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com The announcement was made by Marc O’Brien, Visa Europe’s head of UK and Ireland, during a visit to Dublin to market contactless cards and NFC payment to Irish banks. According to O’Brien, Visa spent €800 million over the last five years on R&D, out of which €170 million went into chip and PIN. “[Visa Europe] envisages spending a further €200 million on R&D into low-value contactless payments by card and mobile device,” O’Brien added. Irish banks Ulster and Halifax have already begun issuing contactless Visa Debit cards, with more to follow as the investment comes to fruition. Read more here.

Ireland ushers in contactless payment era

Ireland’s very first contactless transaction just took place at the staff canteen at Ulster Bank’s Dublin office, ushering in a new era of contactless payment in Ireland, according to siliconrepublic.com. Soon shops all over Ireland will be accepting Visa’s contactless payment cards for purchases of €15 or less. The cards will also come with a specific spending limit to guard against theft and fraud. Once a user clocks up more than €60 in a given day, all transactions after that will require the user to enter a PIN number. The recent deal marks Visa’s shift away from credit cards to debit cards, according to siliconrepublic.com. “More than 77 percent of the value we now process is debit-card related and players like Ulster Bank are migrating their debit cards from Laser Maestro to Visa Debit,” said Marc O’Brien, head of Visa for Ireland and the UK. Visa has plenty of reasons to invest in contactless. McDonald’s has found that every second saved at the register translates to €1 extra to its bottom line. Contactless payment has also played an integral part in rejuvenating the vending machine market. O’Brien added that Visa is currently “hard at work” researching and developing NFC-enabled mobile payment. Read more here.

Carrefour goes with Hypercom for contactless EMV terminals

Hypercom Corp. announced that Carrefour, a global retailer, will deploy Hypercom’s Wynid server-based payment solution and more than 12,000 PIN Pads with EMV contactless readers at 210 of its French hypermarkets, as well as at all of Carrefour’s petrol stations in France. The multi-million dollar agreement is believed to represent one of the world’s largest deployments of EMV contactless readers and represents an expansion to Hypercom’s existing business with Carrefour. The giant retailer already uses Hypercom’s Wynid secure payment solution at 15,000 cash registers in its Market, City and Contact stores. The Carrefour Group is the largest retailer in Europe, and the second largest worldwide, with more than 15,000 stores under banner in 33 countries and more than 490,000 employees. The Group combines different store formats – hypermarkets, supermarkets, hard discount, convenience stores and cash and carry outlets – adapting to its customers’ consumption patterns. The Carrefour Group has selected Hypercom’s electronic payment solution for its hypermarkets in France. Country-wide deployment of the solution started in October 2009.

eAccess delivers Super Bowl smart cards

eAccess LLC, a subsidiary of Cubic Corp., announced that it has produced several thousand Super Bowl Commemorative EASY Cards for Miami-Dade Transit. The NFL-sanctioned commemorative cards went on sale Feb. 1 and are being sold while supplies last from now until game day on Feb. 7. The commemorative cards, which sport the official NFL and Super Bowl XLIV logos, are available for $5 at designated EASY Card sales outlets in the greater Miami area. Passengers simply add value to the cards and tap them on a validator before boarding their bus or train. Cubic Transportation Systems, another Cubic subsidiary, developed and delivered Miami-Dade Transit’s smart-card based fare collection system. The fare collection system entered service in October 2009, and is now operational across 22 Metrorail stations and in more than 800 buses.

Wales reopens discussion of 'revolutionary' smart card transit system

The Welsh Assembly has called for reconsideration of a smart card transit system that would connect the towns and cities of Wales, according to squidcard.com. The proposed ULTtra (Urban Light Transport) project calls for a contactless smart card system to grant passengers access to driverless pods that run on a track similar to that of a monorail. Areas up for consideration include Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. A smart card payment system from sQuid is already in the town of Bolton, Greater Manchester. Residents can use their sQuidcards on Arriva buses, with taxis set to follow later in the year. Read more here.

FIME to join GlobalPlatform team

FIME announced membership into GlobalPlatform to contribute to the infrastructure development of smart card solutions. FIME is a global supplier of test solutions for smart cards, RFID and NFC. FIME ‘s contribution will include participating on GlobalPlatform’s CardCommittee in charge of developing technology neutral applications for cards. They will also play a role on Mobile and Government Task Forces, which identify market specific installation requirements for the GlobalPlatform systems. The joining of FIME to GlobalPlatform gives the association an opportunity to push new incentives and create more buzz in the smart card scene.