GLOBALPLATFORM ANNOUNCES ALLIANCE WITH STIP CONSORTIUM:
Industry Bodies to develop comprehensive specification for smart card acceptance devices which will simplify deployment
23 October 2001 - GlobalPlatform, the cross industry smart card group, announces that it has signed two complementary agreements with the STIP Consortium, the group founded to develop an interoperable platform specification for secure transaction devices. These agreements will lead the two bodies to jointly develop a new standard, which will be suitable to run on low-end devices with limited capabilities and which will become the first ‘real’ embedded platform upon which the GlobalPlatform Terminal Framework specification can be executed.
The two organisations have been working together to produce a new version of the GlobalPlatform Terminal Framework Specification, which will subsequently simplify the deployment of multiple application smart card acceptance devices, and benefit device manufacturers and other organisations wishing to utilise applications that can migrate effortlessly between different devices. A draft version of this specification will be distributed for Member comment in October 2001.
The new version of the specification will maintain key features of the previous version 1.5, whilst incorporating the aforementioned enhancements and features inspired from STIP technology and STIP Application Programming Interface (API) version 2.0.
The two groups have also committed to jointly develop and promote a ‘Device Application Management and Security specification’. Very similar to the work being done to manage multiple application smart cards and associated applications, the device management specification will define distribution of applications to the devices. The dynamic management of applications on these smart devices will extend the life of the appliance and thus spread the cost of the device over a longer period of time. Additionally, it will allow the portability of such applications across several platforms and make it more economical to roll out multiple application programmes in several transaction environments.
Bernard Morvant, Chair of the GlobalPlatform Device Committee comments: “The co-operation between the GlobalPlatform Device Committee and STIP members, has allowed us to specify an end-to-end implementation of the GlobalPlatform Terminal Framework abstract layer as well as the STIP services for payment terminals, thus ensuring a consistency of implementation. We anticipate that a lot of terminal vendors will take advantage of this new level of specification and offer new products to the market place in the very near future.”
The move is also welcomed by Jean-Paul Billon, Chairman of STIP Consortium. Mr Billon comments: “It was a natural progression for the STIP Consortium to join forces with GlobalPlatform, as the work of the two organisations is so complementary in nature. The harmonisation of GlobalPlatform with STIP will allow these two approaches to work together. These agreements will result in the convergence on a single API for device manufacturers, application providers and system integrators”.
-ENDS-
For further information on GlobalPlatform, please contact Dan Bleakman or Lee’ann Connell at Sinclair Mason on Tel: + 44 (0) 113 237 0777 or e-mail: danielb@sinclairmason.com or leeannc@sinclairmason.com
GlobalPlatform contact at Cartes 2001: Lee’ann Connell on Tel: +44 (0) 7802 487 624
For further information on the STIP Consortium, please contact Jean-Paul Billon on
Tel: + 1 650 533 31 47 or e-mail: chairman@stip.org
Notes to editors
About GlobalPlatform:
GlobalPlatform is the only cross-industry forum focused on the development, management and promotion of specifications for multiple application smart cards, smart card applications, and enabling devices. With support from its global member organisations, GlobalPlatform promotes a standard framework facilitating the implementation of smart card programs in any industry around the world. GlobalPlatform allows flexibility in the choice of technologies and vendors through an emphasis on open standards for cards, terminals and support infrastructure. GlobalPlatform’s card and terminal specifications are the first open standards adopted by GlobalPlatform and will provide a solid foundation from which the organisation will define the future of multiple application smart cards.
www.globalplatform.org
About STIP Consortium
STIP Consortium is an independent, non-profit organisation incorporated in March 2000, that defines and promotes the Small Terminal Interoperability Platform specification. STIP is a complete, royalty-free platform for secure transaction devices such as EFT/POS terminals, mobile phones, vending machines and payphones and PDAs when used for secure transactions. STIP is defined to run on small Java configuration such as Sun's CLDC configuration.
STIP Consortium’s members comprise the traditional powerhouse of embedded secure transactions and e-commerce solution providers - manufacturers of payment terminals, mobile device chipsets, payphones and smart cards.
Current principal members are: CP8, Gemplus, Ingenico, Rambler, Schlumberger, Texas Instruments, Thales e-Transactions (formerly Racal-Transcom, Dassault A.T, Krone and ICS) and VeriFone.
The goal of STIP Consortium is to enable Java applications to run with limited resources on a compact virtual machine and API platform and to make these applications interoperable among a variety of devices utilising different operating systems and microprocessors.
STIP Version 2.0
Released in April 2001, STIP version 2.0 provides for the practical deployment of STIP Technologies on a wide range of devices that have limited memory and processing power, but are required to support applications that meet the strict security, performance and cost requirements of traditional electronic payment and emerging m-commerce providers.
Devices such as payment terminals, payphones, vending and ticketing machines and PC connected intelligent smart card readers benefit from the flexibility of STIP since the hardware independent layer it provides allows applications to be written for one device and then easily ported to another. This drastically reduces development and certification costs, speeding deployment and increasing profitability of new applications. The STIP Consortium will soon extend the scope of its API to cover the needs of wireless connected devices as well.
The latest version of the STIP specification is available for download from the STIP Consortium website. The documentation provided also contains further explanation about the architecture and the benefits of STIP
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www.stip.org
