1999-02-23 , ESC-9952
Business News From Philips Semiconductors

Today at Smartcard '99, Philips Semiconductors announced that it has established Testhouse arsenal, part of arsenal research, as the independent MIFARE^® Certification Institute. The aim of the Institute is to ensure compatibility between different manufacturers' MIFARE^® products, within the scope of ISO/IEC 14443 A. This means that tendering parties will be able to rely on the fact that certified MIFARE^® card products from any supplier will work correctly with any certified terminal from another supplier.

The announcement of the MIFARE^® Certification Institute follows the opening of Philips Semiconductors' MIFARE^® Technology to the market, which was announced last year at the Smart Card '98 exhibition in London, UK. The open architecture means that any company can manufacture and use products compatible with MIFARE^® Interface Technology according to ISO/IEC 14443 A under non-discriminatory terms and conditions.

The Certification Institute will be run by Testhouse arsenal who will be responsible for certifying all MIFARE^® products from cards to terminals, including handheld terminals and sum checkers. Each certified product will receive a certificate confirming its MIFARE^® compatibility together with a report according to EN 45001.

Alexander Harrer, Philips Semiconductors' Product Line Manager for Chip Card ICs commented, "The complexity of a contactless interface requires detailed certification to ensure real compatibility between different suppliers. Arsenal research, with its focus on the transport market, its technical competence and its independent status has been selected as the most capable institute to perform these measurements".

Rainer Uranschek, Managing Director of arsenal research said, "For more than a decade, Testhouse arsenal has been a recognised specialist in the field of electronic components, units and devices. With the MIFARE^® Certification Institute we are able to leverage our core competencies in the field of testing components and can offer certification of MIFARE^® components, as well as technical follow-up MIFARE^® consulting".

Philips Semiconductors will transfer the necessary know-how to arsenal research to enable a fully independent compatibility measurement. Testhouse arsenal will then develop the measurement methods required to certify products and also help to resolve any compatibility issues.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eighth largest semiconductor supplier in the world (according to Dataquest's preliminary 1998 ranking by sales). Philips Semiconductors is a leader with a proven reputation in the development and production of cryptocontroller and contactless smart card ICs as well as in components for radio frequency identification. 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. Additional information on Philips Semiconductors can be obtained by accessing its home page at http://www.semiconductors.philips.com.

Testhouse arsenal, a department of arsenal research's transport division, is located in Vienna, Austria. Arsenal research's majority shareholder is the Republic of Austria. For more than a decade, Testhouse arsenal has been a recognised specialist in the field of electronic components, units and devices. During these years, expertise and know-how have been gathered, which today make Testhouse arsenal a valuable partner as an independent testlab for both manufacturers and users, based on accreditation according to EN 45001. Further information regarding arsenal research can be found at our home page at  http://www.arsenal.ac.at