UK-based grocer Sainsburys will begin testing contactless payments technology, according to VNU Net. The retailer hopes the technology will increase transaction speed and aid in its attempts to tackle non-electronic crime.

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KSW Microtec AG will be launching its new UHF polycarbonate inlay for security-critical applications in the government and enterprise ID sectors at CTST 2008 in Orlando, Florida, from May 12 to 15.

KSW Microtec’s UHF inlay polycarbonate tag is ideally suited for the production of border crossing cards, drivers’ licenses, police ID and national ID cards. Unlike a traditional PET inlay, this new product, with orders already on hand, is easily laminated into a polycarbonate card, ensuring a matching material connection and thus safeguarding against card delamination. 

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) has awarded Unisys Canada Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Unisys Corp., a contract to deploy and manage an identification management system, using fingerprint and iris biometric technology to verify the identities of airport workers at 29 airports throughout Canada.

The new system, based on products from ImageWare Systems Inc., will replace the existing application used in CATSA’s Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) system. The RAIC system is designed to enhance aviation security by verifying the identities of airport workers via biometrics and making sure that only those workers with security clearance are permitted to enter restricted areas. It also enables CATSA to update the security clearance status of all 100,000 airport workers instantly at all airports across the country. 

NXP and Siemens Mobility have reached an agreement to collaborate on development of NXP’s new Automotive Telematics On Board (ATOP) into a ‘single chip on-board unit’ system based on GPS and GSM. Once it is done with development and ready for the market, it is intended for use in private vehicles. ATOP can be used simply and cost-effectively as it exploits existing GPS/GSM mobile networks.

A benefit of ATOP is that it is not necessary to install an infrastructure, such as toll stations for roads, because drivers can install the on-board unit in just a few minutes, and the system will then act as a secure and easy toll collection method. 

Taking its cue from customers and a page out of the fashion magazines where “thin is always in,” Texas Instruments Inc. announced the availability of its ultra-thin module for contactless payment applications.

The new chips is 26% thinner than conventional packaged contactless chip offerings. The new module enables card manufacturers to produce an increasing array of colorful and distinctive products with higher yields as a result of causing fewer visual imperfections than thicker chip modules. 

NXP Semiconductors is looking at licensing its Mifare contactless chip card technology to other semiconductor companies for use in SIM cards and NFC applications such as ticketing, payment and access management. “We are preparing a technology licensing program. This will take some time to evolve as it involves both the Mifare hardware and operating system and the crucial over the air management protocols and interfaces with Mifare4Mobile,” Heikki Huomo, vice president and general manager for the NFC business at NXP, told EE times Europe. 

MasterCard International has approved the Collis Card Personalization Validation module. The module enabled MasterCard issuers to speed up the personalization process and shorten time-to-market. The new module checks if MasterCard cards are personalized according to MasterCards’s CPV test specifications. Testing of personalized MasterCard EMV/PayPass cards is necessary for worldwide acceptance of cards.