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| Subject: Re: ReTrading notes.--7/2/2003Wireless LAN Smart Card Group FormedFeb. 4-5 in Paris, | |
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Author: radio100 SlumburgerGemplusOby/InfineonProtonall over it. |
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Date Posted: 19:44:00 02/06/03 Thu In reply to: And upon this charge--little bit more to the 13.5 side added 's message, "ReTrading notes.--7/2/2003" on 19:38:06 02/06/03 Thu Wireless LAN Smart Card Group Formed ------------------------------------------------------------ Nineteen companies and organizations, including major smart card vendors, this week formed a group to promote use of smart cards to provide security and other applications for the burgeoning wireless local area network market. The WLAN Smart Card Consortium plans to endorse existing technical standards for smart cards used in wireless LANs, propose new specifications where needed and generally build awareness of the benefits chip cards could offer WLAN service providers. ------------------------------------------------------------ WLAN offers high-speed Internet and other network access without the wires. It extends fixed networks using radio waves that can reach users up to 100 meters away or more in offices, airports, hotels, even public parks. U.S.-based research firm Gartner Dataquest predicts shipments of WLAN equipment will jump by more than 70% in 2003, to more than 30 million units, after doubling in 2002. This equipment will generate $2.8 billion this year for WLAN components suppliers, compared with $2.3 billion in 2002. High growth rates will continue for at least the next five years, says Dataquest. ------------------------------------------------------------ But security has been a problem, which is why major smart card vendors see an opportunity to pitch their products to WLAN service providers, such as telcos and ISPs. The smart cards, either in the form of a subscriber identity module card or full-sized chip card, could authenticate users, facilitate roaming and billing and provide a safe place to store digital certificates as part of a public key infrastructure, say the vendors. The lack of an infrastructure of card readers connected to laptops and other portable PCs used to access WLANs are a major obstacle to acceptance of smart cards in this market segment, however. ----------------------------------------------------------- Among the founding members of the consortium, who held their first meeting Feb. 4-5 in Paris, reportedly are card vendors SchlumbergerSema, Gemplus International, Oberthur Card Systems and Dai Nippon Printing; chip makers Infineon and Atmel; major WLAN infrastructure providers Cisco Systems and Alcatel; and the French National Institute for Research in Computer Science. ----------------------------------------------------------- Consortium president Bertrand du Castel, head of smart card research for SchlumbergerSema, declined to confirm the list of members. But he did say a key mission of the group will be ensuring WLAN operators can buy their smart card hardware and software from different vendors and expect them to function the same for all users. Existing standards for WLAN smart cards will bring about this interoperability in part. But, the consortium will need to draft some new specifications. ----------------------------------------------------------- At least one observer of the consortium meetings this week believes the organizers are late, since telcos and other WLAN service providers are already beginning to roll out networks and to choose their security measures. Smart card vendors are offering products now, but they may not be standardized for the market. ----------------------------------------------------------- Du Castel agrees time is of the essence, and that is why he has set a goal that the consortium releases new specs before the end of the year. "We are going to work in a very aggressive time scale," he tells Card Technology. "You have to be in the game…things are evolving." ----------------------------------------------------------- (For complete coverage of the proposed use of smart cards with WLANs, see the February 2003 issue of Card Technology) ----------------------------------------------------------- ( 2003-02-06 ) [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |
| Subject | Author | Date |
| Re: ReTrading notes.--7/2/2003--more added to 13.5 side at, | 02:45 pm1,193,922 | 19:46:40 02/06/03 Thu |
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