PALO ALTO, Calif.– Frost & Sullivan’s recent analysis of the world contactless smart card market recognized INSIDE Contactless for its success in designing and developing a next-generation microcontroller chip – the MicroPass-L4 – specifically for contactless transactions.

With its single-minded focus on the contactless market, the company has not only been able to address previously unmet needs, but also comply with the most stringent industry standards to perform secure transactions.

“INSIDE Contactless differentiates itself from competitors by being the only semiconductor company that is completely focused on the contactless market,” remarks Frost & Sullivan research analyst Jason Halverson. “By concentrating all of its development and marketing efforts on this area, the company has been able to deliver exceptional performing products for applications in the payments, retail, and access markets.”

The MicroPass-L4 chip supports Visa and MasterCard contactless payment applications and is one of the few products to have attained compliance with strict standards set by the payment industry such as the four-centimeter read requirement. It features a specifically developed RISC microprocessor architecture which performs operations up to five times faster than other generic microprocessors in the market at half of the power consumption, making it ideal for contactless payment transactions.

The MicroPass-L4 product is also bundled with a dedicated and highly optimized operating system and application software, unlike other chips that require 3rd parties to develop the operating system and applications at an added cost. By packaging the chip with the operating system and application, INSIDE Contactless has been able to lower overall costs considerably and to increase overall product performance and reliability.

The company has optimized the architecture of the MicroPass-L4 chip to require a smaller silicon area and lower power consumption, allowing the total antenna size to be reduced in half. This supports the four-line embossing requirement within the bankcard industry, while also continuing to maintain the four-centimeter read distance requirement.

“By improving on the performance and reducing the cost of contactless technology, INSIDE Contactless has developed a product that is far superior to others currently available in the market,” says Halverson. “Card manufacturers are confident that the MicroPass-L4 technology will allow them to simplify their production process and card associations anticipate that the product’s lower costs will entice more banks to offer contactless cards to their customers.”

Having established close relationships with key industry participants and formed several strategic alliances, INSIDE Contactless looks set to generate significant sales volumes that will not only continue to drive unit costs down but also to significantly increase revenue to keep developing new innovative products.

Every year, Frost & Sullivan presents this prestigious Award to the company that has consistently innovated to stay at the forefront of product development. It further commends the company for introducing a broad line of emerging products and technologies that have been exceptionally well received in its particular market.

About INSIDE Contactless INSIDE Contactless is one of the world’s largest providers of semiconductor chips (memory and microprocessor) and hardware platforms (couplers and readers) related to 13.56 Mhz contactless technology. Delivering the most cost-effective, reliable and secure technology for both contactless cards and readers, INSIDE provides high performance, open standard solutions for Payment, ID and Access Control. Strategically headquartered in France with a global presence in China, Singapore and the US, INSIDE’s worldwide customer portfolio includes providing MicroPass chips for Visa’s contactless payment initiative and serving as the exclusive provider of smart card reader technology for HID’s iCLASS access control solution. INSIDE is also strongly involved in the development of NFC (Near Field Communication) technology and standards. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.insidecontactless.com.

About Frost & Sullivan Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company, has been partnering with clients to support the development of innovative strategies for more than 40 years. The company’s industry expertise integrates growth consulting, growth partnership services, and corporate management training to identify and develop opportunities. Frost & Sullivan serves an extensive clientele that includes Global 1000 companies, emerging companies, and the investment community by providing comprehensive industry coverage that reflects a unique global perspective and combines ongoing analysis of markets, technologies, econometrics, and demographics. For more information, visit www.frost.com.

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