Sun Microsystems' Award-Winning Java Card(TM) Platform Breaks Free with Full Contactless Technology |
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Sun Microsystems, Inc.
4150 Network Circle
Santa Clara, CA, 95054
USA
Press release date: November 15, 2005
SANTA CLARA, Calif. and PARIS, Cartes IT & Security, Nov. 15 -- Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SUNW), the creator and leading advocate of Java(TM) technology, today announced the Java Card(TM) platform is now running on contactless smart cards. Sun announced the worldwide availability and deployment of contactless smart cards running on Java Card technology with demonstrations of the Java Card contactless products at Sun's booth at the Cartes IT & Security 2005 tradeshow, Booth 4 M 086 in Paris.
The Java Card platform is the leading technology for multi-application smart cards with over 1.25 billion cards shipped. With the advent of contactless on Java Card products, Sun helps enable new waves of smart card deployments to benefit from its secure, market-proven, multi-application Java Card technology. Rather than requiring users to insert a card into a reader, contactless cards can be quickly and easily read up to four inches (10 cm) away, enabling applications in rigorous environments such as public transportation or gaining access to government facilities. Government identification and ePassport projects are currently being rolled out worldwide with contactless Java technology. According to Frost & Sullivan, contactless smart card shipments reached 121.7 million units in 2004, and are expected to reach 847.3 million in 2009.*
"Contactless support creates significant new market opportunities for Java Card technology," said Tom Goguen, Vice President, Software Marketing at Sun Microsystems. "This opens new doors for enterprises and government bodies that demand smart card security, the convenience of contactless operation, and the flexibility to easily create or migrate innovative applications. When the next version of Java Card specifications are released with contactless support, we expect it to further increase Java card technology's market leadership."
Java Card technology helps to provide a secure environment for applications that run on smart cards and other devices with very limited memory and processing capabilities. Multiple applications can be deployed on a single card, and new applications can be added even after it has been issued to end users. Applications written in the Java programming language, can be executed securely on cards from different vendors. With over 1.25 billion cards deployed worldwide, Java Card technology is the leading open, multi- application platform for smart cards. Card issuers benefit from a number of unique features of Java Card technology in contactless products, including interoperable cards, a certified multi-application platform, and an open environment for writing new applications using widely available development tools on a diverse range of operating systems, including the Solaris(TM) 10 Operating System (OS), Windows and Linux. Java Card applications can be seamlessly executed on contact, contactless or dual-interface cards.
Java Card technology is licensed to over 50 companies in 18 countries, representing the majority of the world's smart card manufacturing capacity. It helps to provide a range of new opportunities for original equipment manufacturers and their partners across several industries. In particular, the applet interoperability provided by Java Card technology allows card issuers to mix and match third-party applications, including standard payment, stored value, computer authorization, data management, and many more.
Sun will demonstrate contactless Java Card technology-based products and solutions from Gemplus, Oberthur Card Systems, Trusted Logic, Aspects and Activcard at its booth at the Cartes IT & Security 2005 conference. The Java Card platform running on the contactless smart card products are available today, and Java Card 2.2.2 specifications with enhanced contactless support is planned to be available in Spring 2006. For more information on Sun Microsystems and the Java Card platform, please visit Sun at Cartes IT & Security 2005, Booth 4 M 086, or visit http://java.sun.com/products/javacard/
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
A singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(TM)" -- guides Sun in the development of technologies that power the world's most important markets. Sun's philosophy of sharing innovation and building communities is at the forefront of the next wave of computing: the Participation Age. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the Web at http://www.sun.com/ .
*Frost and Sullivan, "Interoperability Amongst Standards Would Help to Tap the Contactless Smart Cards Markets Potential," March 28, 2005.
NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, StarOffice, Solaris, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
Contact: Bob Wientzen of Sun Microsystems, Inc., +1-303-661-4993, or bob.wientzen@sun.com; or Asa Fenton of Bite Communications, +1-415-365-0473, or asa.fenton@bitepr.com, for Sun.
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