HID Global and Sony Corp. announced a jointly developed contactless smart card reader platform that embeds secure access control capabilities and Near Field Communication (NFC) functionality into laptops and other mobile devices.
The platform holds a secure element that stores cryptographic keys which secure the authenticity and integrity of user credentials. It supports widely used contactless technologies for applications ranging from physical access control and identity assurance at the desktop to transit-fare, point-of-sale collection and loyalty programs.
The reader platform has been provided to the NFC Forum Certification Program as a reference sample to assist in the validation of the Digital Protocol test tools. The reader platform will also be submitted for certification.
The jointly developed platform supports Sony’s FeliCa technology, HID Global’s iCLASS and iCLASS SE credentials, MIFARE DESFire EV1 credentials, and other technologies supporting the ISO/IEC 14443 Type A/B contactless smart card standard using the T=CL contactless transmission protocol.
The solution also supports the industry-standard PC/SC Version 2.0 specification for the programming interfaces between PC applications, the operating system and smart cards. It is also prepared to further support the proximity features of the next major release of the Microsoft Windows operating system which enable communication between NFC tags and mobile devices using a tap gesture, as well as the Android operating system for tablet products.
The jointly developed NFC global reader platform is the result of a partnership that Sony and HID Global announced last year. Both companies will be demonstrating the platform Nov. 15-17 at the CARTES & IDentification 2011 conference in Paris, where it will be shown reading a variety of card technologies using NFC. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/secureidnews-4.gif)
