STMicroelectronics Smart Card Technology at the Heart of e-Ticketing Solution for German Transport System
ST and SmardTech Supply Smart Card Solution to card.etc AG Meeting the Requirements of VDV Kernapplikation Project, with Contactless Transaction Times Less Than 100ms
GENEVA, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- STMicroelectronics (NYSE:STM) today announced an on-going collaboration with SmardTech -- software provider for smart card-based applications -- to develop and deliver a highly efficient smart card solution, based on the ST19W secure MCU family and the SmardOS operating system, as part of an electronic ticketing system developed by German card.etc AG, together with ERG Transit Systems, world leader in automated fare collection products and systems. The smart card solution fully meets the technical requirements of the VDV (Association of German Transport Operators) Kernapplikation (KA) project to develop and establish a national e-ticketing technology standard.
The ST19W secure contactless chip from STMicroelectronics, which is fully compliant with the ISO 14443 Type B standard and is Common Criteria (CC) EAL5+ certified, is the key to the success of the project. The chip integrates an RF UART for high-speed communication up to 848-kbps and a hardware cryptographic engine capable of handling secure transactions, digital signatures and other cryptographic algorithms at hardware level. Combined with low power consumption and a very good operating range, this secure chip is ideal for transport applications, and is capable of processing a typical transport transaction in less than 100ms.
SmardTech's SmardOS operating system provides unparalleled capability for the most demanding applications. It is an efficient, dual-standard (ISO 14443 contactless, or ISO 7816 contact type) interface, object-oriented, multi-application and multi-tasking, secure operating system. It supports the most common cryptographic algorithms and schemes; is protected against typical smart card attacks such as logical and timing attacks, SPA, DPA, DFA, EMA and memory corruption; and is ready for Common Criteria security certification. The operating system supports instant application update, loading and removal.
Working seamlessly with the ST19W secure contactless platform, SmardOS brings exceptional performance to the market for the most demanding e-ticketing applications. In Type B validation for the KA Test Karte project, a full transaction was executed in a remarkable time of less than 100ms at 424-kbps communication speed. More than 600 bytes were exchanged in the transaction, with 18 EEPROM updates completed through an anti-tearing protection mechanism and more than 90 DES/TDES CBC blocks ciphered.
ST's most advanced 0.18-micron manufacturing technology is used for the ST19W, the reduced memory programming and erase times of the smaller geometry contributing to faster transactions. Increased memory size allows multiple applications to operate on the same card. STMicroelectronics has more than 20 years experience in the design of silicon products to the highest levels of security for a broad range of applications, and is a major manufacturer for the smartcard market. In 1997 ST produced the world's first contactless microprocessor.
ST and SmardTech have collaborated since 2002, developing an innovative contactless smart card solution for the German VRR/VRS transit fare collection system, which resulted in the deployment of more than three million units.
About SMARDTECH
SmardTech is a leading edge provider of software solutions covering the most demanding market requirements for smart cards and smart tags based applications. Smardtech's forefront combination of system expertise and market understanding provides an unrivalled level of performance, security, flexibility and versatility to its products. Smardtech is privately owned and located near Paris, France. Further information on SmardTech can be found at smardtech.com/ .
About card.etc AG:
card.etc AG is a full service provider for integrated smart card solutions and an issuer of multifunctional smart cards for public transport. card.etc AG won the biggest tender Transit Smart Card in Europe from VRR (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Ruhr) and VRS (Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg) for the introduction of a smart card system in the area of North-Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. card.etc AG developed the smart card and SAM. More then 3 million dual interface smartcards and over 5000 Sam have been delivered to 44 different public transport operators with about 1.6 billion passenger journeys per year. card.etc was an official partner of the VDV (Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen) R&D --- project "Kernapplikation" founded by the BMBF (Bundesministerium fA1/4r Bildung und Forschung). Additional information is available at www.cardetc.de/ .
ERG Group
ERG has delivered systems that support more than 20 million smart cards in circulation in major cities throughout the world including Hong Kong, Rome, San Francisco and Singapore with installations underway in Sydney, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Washington DC and Seattle. ERG is an Australian-based company, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange and employs 900 people in 11 countries. Additional information is available at erggroup.com/ .
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications. An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets. The Company's shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange, on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2004, the Company's net revenues were $8.76 billion and net earnings were $601 million. Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com/ .
Source: STMicroelectronics
CONTACT: Michael Markowitz of STMicroelectronics, +1-212-821-8959, or michael.markowitz@st.com
Web site: www.st.com/
http://smardtech.com/
http://www.cardetc.de/
http://erggroup.com/
