RFID Technology from Texas Instruments Prevents Counterfeit Tickets at Tennis Master Cup 2005 in Shanghai

One of the Largest RFID Ticketing Applications for Sporting Events in China

Dallas, TX (December 19, 2005)

All 100,000 tickets sold for the Tennis Master Cup 2005 in Shanghai, China, held November 13-20 were genuine, thanks to a stadium-wide radio frequency identification (RFID) ticketing system based on high-frequency tags from Texas Instruments Incorporated (NYSE: TXN) (TI). The Ba-Shi Group, which holds the contract to host the event at the Shanghai Qi Zhong stadium from 2005 through 2007, created one of the largest RFID-based anti-counterfeit ticketing applications for sporting events in China. The system, which uses TI’s Tag-it™ HF-I ISO/IEC 15693 inlays incorporated into each ticket, allows event organizers to protect ticket revenues and helps to prevent the use of counterfeit tickets.

Before tickets were mailed to the purchaser, specific information such as the section and seat number, date and unique ID, was written to the RFID-enabled tag. When a spectator entered the Shanghai Qi Zhong stadium through any of the 16 RFID reader-enabled gates, a quick wave of his or her ticket confirmed its authenticity and provided immediate visual verification on a display at the gate. Event staff was also equipped with handheld RFID readers to spot check tickets inside the stadium.

“Prior to using RFID, spectators were required to purchase a pre-event ticket holder and then exchange it for the physical ticket at the stadium box office,” said Yang Yibin, deputy general manager of New Sports and Entertainment (Shanghai) Ltd., a subsidiary of the Ba-Shi Group. “This new system not only offers peace of mind that the tickets purchased are genuine, it puts tickets in the purchaser’s hands faster and provides more efficient entry come event time.”

The systems integrators who worked on the implementation are Shanghai HSIC Application System Co., Ltd., Shanghai Shenbo Intelligent ID Technology Co., Ltd., and Shanghai East Ticket Co., Ltd. Hua Shen supplied the stationary and handheld RFID readers. Tickets were printed using the CL408E-HF, 13.56 MHz ISO/IEC 15693 RFID printers from SATO Shanghai Co., Ltd.

The RFID ticketing system will be expanded to include payment for the Tennis Master Cup 2006. Spectators will be able to automatically pay for refreshments and merchandise using an RFID tag.

For more information on the Tag-it HF-I product family, contact Texas Instruments RFid Systems at 1-800-962-RFID (7343) (North America) or +1 214-567-RFID (7343) (International), or visit the Web site at www.ti-rfid.com

About Texas Instruments RFid Systems

Updated May 2006 Texas Instruments is the world’s largest integrated manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) transponders and reader systems. Capitalizing on its competencies in high-volume semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics packaging, TI is a visionary leader and at the forefront of establishing new markets and international standards for RFID applications. For more information, contact TI-RFid™ Systems at 1-800-962-7343 (North America) or +1 214-567-7343 (International), or visit the Web site at www.ti-rfid.com.

Texas Instruments Incorporated provides innovative DSP and analog technologies to meet our customers’ real world signal processing requirements. In addition to Semiconductor, the company includes the Educational & Productivity Solutions business. TI is headquartered in Dallas, Texas and has manufacturing, design or sales operations in more than 25 countries. Texas Instruments is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol TXN. More information is located on the World Wide Web at www.ti.com.