1999-05-11 , E/IC-1066/39
Business News From Philips Semiconductors

Philips Semiconductors and EFKON today announced their co-operation in non-stop Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) using contactless MIFARE^® smart cards. The first major project within this co-operation is the ETC Scheme in Malaysia. EFKON is using MIFARE technology, in combination with advanced infrared light transmission, for the national roll-out of the non-stop ETC scheme.

The local operator has already issued more than 200,000 contactless MIFARE smart cards to the public. The non-stop road toll project covers most of the Malaysian highway network, including the world's longest toll road, the 800 km Plus-Highway. Within the first ten days of the roll-out, 50,000 On-Board-Units (OBUs) were sold to the public. In total, 200 lanes and an estimated one million MIFARE OBUs are scheduled to be in operation upon completion of the entire project.

The EFKON system works via an infrared transceiver in the toll booth communicating with a battery-operated OBU based on a MIFARE read/write device, which contains a reloadable MIFARE smart card. The OBU is a matchbox-sized device with an LCD display and mounted inside the car's windscreen. EFKON's open concept allows toll operators to start with cash-collection and touch/go reader lanes and upgrade to multilane freeflow traffic, where the card is read automatically without the driver having to stop at a toll booth or gantry. The system can also be used to enhance existing MIFARE touch-and-go solutions.

Non-smart card based systems need installation of non-stop equipment in all locations. The combined MIFARE-based touch-and-go and non-stop operation requires such installations only in high traffic areas, which leads to considerable overall cost savings. Service is improved, as the card can be used for any purpose, such as gasoline loyalty programs. With guaranteed accuracies of greater than 99.9 % for infrared data channel transmission, this system is a fast and highly efficient method of toll collection which can significantly reduces traffic congestion at road tolls.

"The potential size of this road toll scheme is enormous and further enhances Philips Semiconductors' vision of MIFARE being the key to people's mobility", explained Alexander Harrer, product line manager Chip Card ICs at Philips Semiconductors. "Imagine you get in your car and drive through a road toll. Your fee is deducted from a MIFARE card on the fly. Then you reach a park & ride where you use the same card to pay for the parking. You get on the bus and again pay your fare with the same card. In addition, this card can be used as your banking card. MIFARE enables a truly seamless journey with a single smart card."

Max Staudinger, director of Marketing and Sales at EFKON added, "Recent years have shown the need for improved Electronic Toll Collection systems. We believe Philips Semiconductors' open MIFARE interface technology, compliant with ISO 14443 A, has ideally positioned us to address these needs and improve traffic flow in an increasingly car-dependant world." Max Staudinger continued, "The well-established multiple sourcing of MIFARE provides the most competitive prices for leading edge technology and is a must for such major infrastructure decisions."

Philips Semiconductors' MIFARE Architecture Platform is a compatible family of contactless and dual interface (contact and contactless on a single chip) smart card ICs, based on a single MIFARE reader platform. With well over 2.5 billion card transactions in the last four years, the open MIFARE technology has become the industry standard for contactless smart cards and is used in an estimated 90% of all contactless schemes. MIFARE corresponds to the international standard for contactless smart cards, ISO/IEC 14443 A.

EFKON was established in 1994 and is based in Austria, with regional offices located in Malaysia, Beijing and Pretoria. Already the company has achieved significant market presence and aims to provide future-proof infrastructure solutions. EFKON Electronics Division has developed the most advanced non-stop Electronic Toll Collection system in the world, called IS^®. IS^® works in freeflow traffic for speeds up to 300 km/h. Most infrastructure (IS) solutions use contactless smart cards but, by using the new medium of infrared light technology, IS^® achieves unprecedented reliability of data transmission. Since it uses infrared light, IS^® requires no radio licenses, is free of interference problems and works perfectly with dark windscreens. Additional information on EFKON can be obtained by accessing its home page at  http://www.efkon.com.

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the eighth 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 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

MIFARE^® is a registered trademark of Royal Philips Electronics