Nokia, Philips trial NFC for Wireless Ticketing

[R.A. Hettinga]

<http://www.physorg.com/printnews.php?newsid=1812>




 Nokia, Philips trial NFC for Wireless Ticketing



Nokia, Royal Philips Electronics together with Rhein-Main Verkehrsverbund
(RMV), public transport authority for Frankfurt's greater area, today
announced a joint project to trial a Near Field Communication (NFC)
ticketing solution that uses mobile phones to access an existing
contactless smart card ticketing infrastructure. The trial, which starts
early 2005, will enable RMV's current customers to use Nokia 3220 phones
equipped by tailored Nokia NFC shell covers to gain access to a local bus
network in Hanau, a city near Frankfurt. As a result, travelers can enjoy a
convenient and secure solution designed around their needs to buy, store
and use tickets with their Nokia 3220 mobile phones.



 About Near Field Communication (NFC):
Evolving from a combination of contactless identification and networking
technologies, Near Field Communication (NFC) is a wireless connectivity
technology that enables convenient short-range communication between
electronic devices. NFC offers the ultimate in convenience for connecting
all types of consumer devices and enables rapid and easy communications. It
is the perfect solution for controlling data in our increasingly complex
and connected world.
NFC technology evolved from a combination of contactless identification
(RFID) and interconnection technologies. NFC operates in the 13.56 MHz
frequency range, over a distance of typically a few centimetres. NFC
technology is standardized in ISO 18092, ECMA 340, and ETSI TS 102 190.
Near Field Communication is also compatible to the broadly established
contactless smart card infrastructure.

The ticketing solution will be demonstrated at the CARTES IT & SECURITY
trade show in Paris (2-4 November).

As the first live NFC-based ticketing application of its kind, the trial
will use Nokia 3220 mobile phones with a contactless NFC solution, based on
the Nokia NFC shell - the mobile phone's outside cover. The RMV electronic
ticketing application will be securely stored on an integrated smart card
controller in the phone, and is fully compatible with today's smart
card-based ticketing products. Users will simply need to touch their phones
against the contactless reader as they get on and off the bus to register
their journey. This trial will provide the partners with practical
experience of NFC-enabled mobile ticketing on a check-in/check-out basis,
paving the way for broad adoption of the technology.

 The mobile phone offers customers a quick and convenient way to use the
public transport network, and RMV is at the forefront of understanding how
customers will approach the technology. As an integrated device, the mobile
phone can also be used as a resource for transport information, such as
timetables, as well as being a terminal for ticketing. For RMV an important
feature of the project is that the Nokia NFC shells are compatible with the
contactless smart card infrastructure already installed in Hanau.

"Nokia is taking a leading role in bringing easy and convenient touch-based
interactions to the market. Local ticketing is a great example of how
mobility can bring completely new value to consumers and companies that
serve them. This ticketing trial will provide us with valuable experience
to meet requirements from mobile operators, transport operators and
end-users going forward." said Jarkko Sairanen, Vice President, Strategy
and Planning, at Nokia Technology Platforms.

"With NFC we are delivering on our promise of providing simple and
easy-to-use solutions to complex problems," commented Reinhard Kalla, Vice
President and General Manager of Identification at Philips Semiconductors.
"Together with Nokia and RMV, we have developed the first ticketing
application for NFC technology, providing an example of how an intuitive,
touch-based solution can simplify the daily lives of users."

About the solution

Jointly developed by Philips and Sony, NFC enables touch-based interactions
in consumer electronics, mobile devices, PCs, smart objects and for payment
purposes. Consumers are seeking easier ways to interact with their
immediate environment and want to experience easy communication between
their electronic devices and gain fast access to services. An intuitive
technology, NFC bridges that connectivity gap and allows the connected
consumer to interact with their environment.

The trial implementation is in line with the Association of German
transport operators (Verein Deutscher Verkehrsbetriebe ,VDV), specification
that has been developed for a country wide electronic ticketing core
application (VDV Kernapplikation). NFC is compatible with Sony's FeliCa(TM)
card and the broadly established contactless smart card infrastructure
based on ISO 14443 A, which is used in Philips' MIFARE. technology.


-- 
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R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah at ibuc.com>
The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA
"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'