In this issue:

• Security Screenings at 75th Academy Awards Use TI-RFid Technology
• New Tags and Readers Expand 13.56 MHz Product Family
• New Strategic Relationships With AMAG Technology Group and ScreenCheck
• Multi-Function Reader Module for Contactless Payment Applications

Security Screenings at 75th Academy Awards Use TI-RFid Technology
The spotlight shone on security at the 75th Academy Awards in Los Angeles as several thousand celebrities, crew members, producers, press and other guests were kept safe at the event using a system that featured Texas Instruments Radio Frequency Identification (TI-RFid) technology. Security personnel used TI-RFid technology to verify the identity of attendees at strategic perimeter locations and interior checkpoints and restricted access areas throughout the Kodak Theater.

As part of an overall security framework implemented by Security Solutions, a systems integrator from Los Alamitos, Calif., the nearly 11,000 authorized attendees, guests and staff were required to wear an ID card, issued in advance of the event, which contained a TI-RFid 13.56 MHz smart label. The ID cards also had other embedded high technology features to facilitate visual screening and identification.

Five-foot tall kiosks, containing a computer monitor, RFID reader, and encased computer server, were placed in strategic locations at the Kodak Theater. When guests arrived, their identity was verified as they passed through a checkpoint. Additional security checks helped personnel determine who had access to a particular area, such as award presenters needing backstage access. Within one half second of the card being read at the kiosks, security personnel had access to information about the cardholder, including a photograph, name, physical descriptors, security clearances, and the date and time the credentials were active. The monitors were carefully shielded from view so that personal information was protected, and computer equipment was locked within the kiosk for added security.

back to top

New Tags and Readers Expand 13.56 MHz Product Family
TI-RFid Systems has expanded its ISO 15693 compliant 13.56 MHz access control product family with the addition of RFID keyfobs and adhesive labels, as well as two new readers: the Long Range Gate Reader and the Pin Pad Reader. TI’s new tags and readers offer the market a new level of facility protection, asset tracking, and increased security and authentication.

TI will feature the Long Range Gate Reader at its booth at ISC West, March 26-28, 2003 in Las Vegas, allowing visitors to experience its hands-free, walk-through capabilities, and three-foot (1 meter) read range. The Long Range Gate Reader can also be used for drive-through badge identification at parking lots. For asset tracking and protection, items can be affixed with TI 13.56 MHz smart labels and linked to a person’s badge. For example, when an employee walks through an access point, the Long Range Gate Reader can read both the badge and the asset, granting access or denying it if the identification numbers do not match. The reader can be integrated with the building’s security system so that an alarm could be activated if assets were taken through an access point without proper authorization.

back to top

New Strategic Relationships With AMAG Technology Group and ScreenCheck
TI has established two new strategic/OEM relationships in the access control market. AMAG Technology Group and ScreenCheck will offer TI’s line of ISO 15693 compliant 13.56 MHz vicinity cards and readers for access control applications. AMAG Technology Group will resell TI’s cards and readers for access control applications in the Americas and under the Group 4 brand name in Europe. The company also plans to incorporate TI 13.56 MHz RFID technology into two of its new reader products. AMAG Technology Group is a subsidiary of $4.5 billion Group 4 Falck, a worldwide market-leading security company with 230,000 employees operating in more than 80 countries. ScreenCheck, one of the leading providers of card personalization solutions and turnkey card applications, will offer TI’s access control solutions with its Card Management System, which lets security personnel manage the entire employee badge issuing process with its Badgemaker 5500 software.

back to top

Multi-Function Reader Module for Contactless Payment Applications
TI-RFid has announced a new Multi-Function Reader Module, a flexible and low-cost device that accepts ISO 14443 and ISO 15693 standards-compliant radio frequency (RF) transponders. Samples are available now for core customers with full production to begin in early Q2 2003. Texas Instruments’ new reader module supports Speedpass™ low frequency (134.2 kHz) technology, as well as TI’s 13.56 MHz ISO 15693 transponder family and new transponders built on TI’s recently announced ISO 14443 Type B platform. With the highly versatile reader module, POS and payment terminal manufacturers are no longer locked into supporting only one transponder solution for contactless payment applications.

This Proximity Coupling Device (PCD) module is fully compliant with ISO 14443 Type A and B and ISO 15693, providing opportunities for true interoperability across suppliers and protocols. With its small size and flash upgradeable firmware, allowing for fast and easy remote upgrades, it is designed for embedded solutions from point-of-sale (POS) and payment terminal manufacturers serving the following markets: banking, public transit, general retail, quick-service restaurants, hospitality and vending.

TI’s new reader module is easy to integrate into existing infrastructures and supports multi-applications such as payment and loyalty. The new reader features an open platform so that a range of security architectures can be designed in depending on the specific needs of the application. The design is also highly scalable to support custom requirements from plug-in to fully-packaged solutions.

back to top

Market View: New Standards Create Market Momentum for Contactless Payment

The RF payment market began back in 1997 with the development of the technology for the ExxonMobil Speedpass. Six million users and 7,500 Speedpass-enabled locations later, the technology has proven successful – it has increased sales, strengthened brand loyalty, and improved customer satisfaction. Today, other merchants and bankcard issuers are looking to implement RF wireless payment solutions. Card issuers hope to overcome problems associated with magnetic-stripe card fraud with more secure payment solutions, and merchants want to differentiate themselves from their competitors by finding new CRM solutions to build brand loyalty. With the advancements of 13.56 MHz technology, the establishment of ISO 15693 and ISO 14443 standards, and the availability of products that support multiple frequencies and platforms, even more opportunities are available for bankcard issuers and merchants interested in RF for contactless payment.

There are a number of RF solutions suitable for wireless payment applications. Financial institutions interested in RF technology are moving toward 13.56 MHz solutions with full compliance to the ISO 14443 standard. With its increased data transfer rates, interoperability, and advanced security capabilities, technology compliant with this standard is ideally suited for consumer transactions, in a range of markets including banking, public transit, hospitality, vending, quick-serve restaurants and general retail. In fact, American Express, Mastercard and Visa have endorsed ISO 14443 as the contactless RF payments standard.

The card companies and merchants are looking at ISO 14443-compliant RF technology because of the value proposition it offers. For bankcard issuers, it provides a secure alternative to mag stripe, it is easy and cost effective to implement, and can be integrated with existing legacy systems. Merchants appreciate that it can be branded and used for CRM and loyalty applications, and that it is also proven to increase brand loyalty and sales. Consumers have a stake in the technology, too – they have found it to be an easy and convenient way to pay and enjoy receiving targeted, on-the-spot discounts and rewards.

ISO 14443 B is emerging as the mode of choice for consumer payment applications. Over the next several months, more and more RF-based payment trials will be set in motion and discussed publicly as companies in highly competitive markets seek technology solutions that will help to speed transaction times and make the payment experience more convenient for consumers.

by V.C. Kumar
Wireless Commerce Business Manager
TI-RFid Systems

back to top