04 April, 2007
category: Contactless, Financial, RFID
Need a soda pronto before hopping on a flight?
Frequent milers at Atlanta International are in luck. They can now make cashless payments at cold-drink vending machines using RFID-enabled credit cards.
Give thanks SkyeTek, Inc., a provider of embedded RFID reader technology, which recently announced this first consumer application resulting from its partnership with Isochron Inc., which makes intelligent technology for the food and beverage industries.
RFID Solution: SkyeTek Enables Cashless Payment At Cold-Drink Vending Machines At Atlanta International Airport
4/4/2007
SkyeTek, Inc., the provider of embedded RFID reader technology, recently announced the first consumer application resulting from its partnership with Isochron Inc., one of the, leader in intelligent, networked vending technology for the food and beverage industry. Together, the companies have enabled cashless payment at vending machines located throughout the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Consumers equipped with RFID enabled credit cards can now make a purchase by just waving a card within a few feet of the new vending machines.
In October, Isochron selected SkyeTek’s M2 contactless payment module as the embedded RFID reader to enable secure, cashless payment at vending machines. Since then, Isochron has unveiled several vending machines at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport where consumers can now use RFID-enabled credit and debit cards issued by financial institutions such as Bank of America, Citizens Bank, Charter One, Chase and Key Bank to purchase cold drinks quickly, conveniently and securely.
“In developing interactive, contactless payment devices for vending machines, we were seeking only the best available technology,” noted Bryan Godwin, CEO and president of Isochron. “Performance, reliability and security were the most important factors in powering this latest RFID based innovation. Ultimately, we determined that SkyeTek’s technology was best suited to meet the standards of our customer as well as the high expectations of today’s consumer.”
SkyeTek’s Advanced Universal Reader Architecture (AURA) is the foundation for the M2 contactless payment reader module which provides industry-leading tag support, read range / reliability, and security at the highest levels of cost- / space- / power-efficiency. The M2 supports Mastercard Paypass, Visa Contactless, Amex ExpressPay, and Discover Network and incorporates state-of-the art encryption and anti-cloning technology – the same algorithms used in the Department of Defense and financial services – to offer the highest levels of security to contactless payment.
“With contactless payment transforming the way people make everyday purchases, the demand for dependable, secure RFID technology is skyrocketing,” commented Rob Balgley, CEO of SkyeTek. “We are proud to bring the highest standards for security and reliability to applications that make life simpler, safer, and more secure.”
SkyeTek offers its technology to OEMs, systems integrators, and distributors as reader modules (which include a ReaderWare license) or ReaderWare software licenses. Licensing provides these customers with access to ReaderDNA reference designs, allowing them to integrate the technology directly into their product design and realize 40 to 70 percent cost savings versus a typical reader module.