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| Friday, May 10, 09:56:01am | [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, [9], 10 ] |
| Subject: chip card for transit applications and new infrastructure. | |
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Date Posted: Saturday, February 15, 06:29:55pm In reply to: 31/10/1999 --selected Multos. 's message, "Australian Gov, ACT, Centrelink, Northern Territory, Tasmania,Queeensland, Western Australia, Brisbane City Council" on Saturday, February 15, 06:10:52pm Looking for the smartcard pot of goldMar 7 11:08Mandy Bryan ----------------------------------------------------------- Moves in Sydney and Brisbane to adopt public transport ticketing systems may at last signal the take-up of the much-trumpeted smartcard in this country. ----------------------------------------------------------- Then again, they may not. The concept of a chip-enabled multipurpose card that can be loaded with cash and doubles as an electronic key and ID card has been around for years but has never found its way into our wallets. ----------------------------------------------------------- Each year, those vending the vision promise that this technology is poised to come of age. First it was phonecards, then transport ticketing systems, that would provide the critical mass. ----------------------------------------------------------- And Australia has much to gain from the vision, if a recent study by the National Office for the Information Economy and Asia-Pacific Smartcard Forum is any indication. The study found Australia's smartcard industry in 1999 generated $450 million, of which $390 million was in exports. ----------------------------------------------------------- Australian companies such as ERG, Keycorp and Intellect have struck a lucrative seam in overseas e-payment markets. Keycorp recently signed a deal to supply millions of smartcards to Mondex Philippines, a MasterCard franchise; Intellect is to supply the Malaysian Government with a multipurpose card for all Malaysian citizens; and ERG has built a smartcard-based ticketing system in Hong Kong. These companies are itching to replicate their success locally. ----------------------------------------------------------- In preparation for the smartcard revolution, many merchants in Australia have had smartcard-enabled EFTPOS terminals for six years, though few have ever used them. ----------------------------------------------------------- And while a number of Australian organisations have dabbled in the technology, most have failed to realise the full functionality of the card. ----------------------------------------------------------- A reason given for the failure of smartcards to make inroads has been the uncertain future of the reloadable electronic purse. Topped up with cash via an ATM-style terminal and used for small purchases, it seems compelling only for niche applications such as transport and telecommunications, while EFTPOS and credit expand into lower-value transactions. ----------------------------------------------------------- Then there is the complexity surrounding major strategic infrastructure for large companies. Existing legacy applications have to be converted, and the commercial and regulatory framework and the complexity of the co-issue, co-branding and shared applications between different organisations have to be factored in. ----------------------------------------------------------- Then there is the battle of the operating systems, which span Chipper, once backed by Telstra; the Mondex electronic purse - which works only on MULTOS, the standard used by Keycorp; and Proton, which is licensed in Australia by ERG, Java and CEPS. ------------------------------------------------------------ Against this backdrop, Sydney and Brisbane have embarked on major tenders that will include smartcard-ready ticketing systems across their public transport networks. While still a long way off implementation, these are being positioned as the killer smartcard application in Australia. ------------------------------------------------------------ US ticketing systems provider Cubic, which is vying with ERG for the contracts, predicts that smartcards in Australia will build up in major metropolitan areas over the next few years as ticketing projects are developed, providing critical mass for the technology. ----------------------------------------------------------- Smartcards that emerge in the short term are likely to be hybrids combining magnetic stripe for banking applications based on existing infrastructure and a chip card for transit applications and new infrastructure. ----------------------------------------------------------- Other applications are likely to remain in the back office rather than on the card, which will hold account details and handshaking applications for security. ----------------------------------------------------------- By that time, however, the smartcard may have become obsolete altogether. As transaction points become contactless, the location of the chip will cease to be important. The chip can just as effectively be located in a smart device such as a mobile phone or hand-held computer, rendering the smartcard as we know it obsolete. ----------------------------------------------------------- [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| It is significant in terms--interopereability multi application (ie additional revenue streams that can be added to the basic transport application) | 13/8/2002 ERG have had to upgrade South East Queensland in advance of Smartpos/Cubic-CBA | Saturday, February 15, 06:40:28pm |