NXP and ALIOTH Drive Smart Card Convergence

ALIOTH will be the first card maker worldwide to offer SmartMX2 cards using a MIFARE Plus emulation for transport and a MasterCard-certified MChip PayPass payment application, while supporting GOST cryptographic algorithms mandated by the Russian government.

Card holders will now be able to enjoy the convenience of using a single smart card for everyday use – from the morning train commute to daily shopping. In Europe, card-issuing companies and institutions have seen additional consumer spend of up to 30% from such multi-application cards. The cards benefit from unrivalled transaction speeds, card-to-reader range, power performance and security based on NXP’s IntegralSecurity architecture, with over 100 security features to ensure the integrity of the chip.

NXP’s SmartMX2 is the world’s first secure element with a Common Criteria EAL 6+ security certificate issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security. As a further security enhancement, NXP will be first company to incorporate Intrinsic-ID’s leading PUF anti-cloning technology into the SmartMX2 family.

“As the clear market leader in security chips, NXP was the obvious partner for this ground-breaking project,” said Igor Vasiliev, general director ALIOTH. “While we are excited to have created a truly converged multi-application product under the SCOne brand, it is vital that both consumers and service providers are able to have complete trust in the security of card transactions. The high levels of hardware security that SmartMX2 delivers not only helps to create this trust – including support for government-endorsed GOST cryptography – but also means that we were able to quickly implement software countermeasures and bring this product to market in just four months, from first samples evaluation to MasterCard approval process.”

“NXP is leveraging its expertise in secure microcontrollers to converge smart life applications such as electronic ticketing, payments and government ID on just one multi-application card,” said Ulrich Huewels, vice president and general manager, business line secure card solutions, NXP Semiconductors. “With billions of SmartMX and MIFARE products proven in the field, NXP is paving the way for the contactless future, setting best-in-class performance metrics and enabling new experiences for consumers.”

The availability of this new SmartMX2-based card follows the recent announcement that the Moscow Department of Transport has selected MIFARE Plus for the new “TROIKA” smart card project. This highly secure new multi-modal card aims to improve the quality of the travel experience and make public transport more attractive by enabling passengers to use one card for ticketing across multiple transport types, including metro, urban railway, tram and bus services. Additionally, the city of St. Petersburg is also using MIFARE Plus technology for its public transport system.

The new secure multi-application card from ALIOTH and NXP with the MasterCard M/Chip PayPass application is ready for mass production now. Cards with a Visa PayWave application will be available later in 2013.