1997-09-16 , E/IC-810/260

At CarteS '97 Philips Semiconductors announces a unique family of dual interface chip card ICs to meet the security standards of the banking world for contact applications, plus the high speeds necessary for contactless operations. The MIFARE^® PRO family incorporates a microcontroller which is secured with a high speed Triple DES co- processor, capable of conducting Triple DES calculations more than 400 times faster compared with today's software solutions - this is vital for high security without compromising the speed needed for contactless transactions.

With MIFARE^® PRO Philips Semiconductors is enlarging its existing Contactless Chipcard IC portfolio with a range of products where a microcontroller is operated via the contactless MIFARE^® RF-Interface, secured with a Triple-DES Co-Processor. This new Dual Interface chip card IC family for contact and contactless applications is a further important step in pursuing Philips SemiconductorsÌ goal to combine the security required in today's banking environment with the convenience which contactless smart card technology offers to the transport sector.

The first products of the MIFARE^® PRO family are based on the widely established 80C51 microcontroller, while plans already exist to extend this towards the recently introduced 16-bit SMARTXA controller Architecture providing faster processing times and hardware firewall security for contactless Smart Card ICs.

The contactless interface is based on the field-proven and reliable MIFARE^® Technology which Philips Semiconductors invented and successfully implemented in some 40 installations world-wide, with a delivered base of about 20 million MIFARE^® Card ICs and about 90.000 read/write units.

As MIFARE^® has emerged as the industrial standard for Contactless Smart Cards, it has been Philips SemiconductorsÌ strategy to open the MIFARE^® RF interface to the respective ISO/IEC standardisation committees. Thus, MIFARE^® is fully in line with the current status of ISO 14443, which is going to be the international standard for contactless cards operating in the proximity range (about 10 cm).

The MIFARE^® PRO family offers compatibility to the existing MIFARE^® infrastructure and, due to its microcontroller functionality, is open to any other protocol. This FLEXibility enables MIFARE^® users today to get access to the Inter-Industry Command layer defined in ISO 7816-4, via a fieldproven and reliable interface in line with the ISO 14443 WD. The compatibility with the existing MIFARE^® readers enables service providers to use the entire MIFARE^® product portfolio from low-end hardwired logic cards (MIFARE^® LIGHT) up to sophisticated microcontroller cards such as the MIFARE^® PRO family.

Philips Semiconductors proven track record in implementing highest security in smart card ICs started in 1985 when the first smart card IC with DES was introduced. In 1991 Philips Semiconductors continued with the introduction of the world's first coprocessor for asymmetric crypto algorithms which, in its FAMEX version, has recently been chosen by VISA for their merchant card, demanding highest security standards. This expertise in security is fully utilised in the design of the MIFARE^® PRO family.

The first product of the MIFARE^® PRO family, the MF2 D80, with an 80C51-Controller, 8 Kbytes EEPROM, 20 Kbytes user ROM, 256 byte RAM and Triple-DES Co-Processor with a chip size smaller than 15 mm= will be introduced to the market in Q4/1997, together with the necessary design tools.

The first derivative with 2 Kbytes EEPROM is scheduled for Q2/1998. For Q4/1998 the introduction of the MIFARE^® PRO in combination with Philips FAMEX Crypto Co- Processor for asymmetric Crypto-Algorithms (e.g. RSA) is planned. Thus, by the end of 1998 a comprehensive portfolio on Dual Interface Controller Cards will be available to cover any contactless application with products of the field proven and reliable MIFARE^® Technology.

MIFARE^® is a registered trademark of Philips Electronics N.V.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors is a leader with a proven reputation in the development and production of cryptocontroller and contactless Smart Card ICs. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional application labs.