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World Smart Card Platforms

Published by: Frost & Sullivan

Published: Apr. 21, 2006



Table of Contents


1. Executive Summary
        1. Market Overview
                1. Introduction

2. Strategic Analysis of the World Smart Card Platform Market
        1. Market Overview
                1. Market Overview
                2. Market Definitions
                3. Industry Challenges
        2. Java Card
                1. Overview
                2. Market Trends
                3. Unit Shipment Forecasts
                4. Technology Analysis
        3. MULTOS
                1. Overview
                2. Market Trends
                3. Unit Shipment Forecasts
                4. Technology Analysis
        4. MIFARE
                1. Overview
                2. Market Trends
                3. Unit Shipment Forecasts
                4. Technology Analysis
        5. FELICA
                1. Overview
                2. Market Trends
                3. Unit Shipment Forecasts
                4. Technology Analysis

Abstract

Research Overview

This Frost & Sullivan research service titled World Smart Card Platforms Market provides an overview of the platforms market in various applications and unit shipment forecasts for four major smart card platforms - Java card, MULTOS, MIFARE, and FELICA. In this study, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the smart card platform market in the GSM, payment, government, national, and transit ID applications.

Market Sectors

Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:
  • SIM
  • Payment
  • National ID
  • Government ID
  • Transit ID
Technologies

The following technologies are covered in this research:
  • Java Card: Java Card is an open platform, licensed by Sun Microsystems, for implementation on any type of microprocessor cards. Java Card is a virtual machine that runs on top of a proprietary operating system.
  • MULTOS Platform: MULTOS is an open platform and its Consortium MAOSCO does the development and promotion of the MULTOS specification. In terms of technology, MULTOS differs from the Java platform in that it includes the operating system, the virtual machine, and the public key infrastructure (PKI).
  • MIFARE Platform: MIFARE is an ISO 14443 Type-A compliant contactless and dual interface scheme, owned by Philips. Contrary to Java and MULTOS, the MIFARE scheme refers to the whole integrated circuit (IC) chip rather than the operating system or the virtual machine.
  • FELICA Platform: FELICA similar to the MIFARE platform is a contactless IC card technology from Sony. The FELICA IC chip comes with a proprietary operating system that can support only applications developed specifically for the FELICA platform.
Market Overview

Technological Advancement to Expand Smart Cards Platform Market

Currently in the middle of a growth phase, the smart cards market is showing unprecedented signs of double-digit growth. "This acts as a catalyst for the advancement of technology and applications," according to the analyst of this study. "In order to compete with platforms that are more flexible, secure, fast, and interoperable, platform vendors need to keep up with these technological advances."

The most important trend among various developments and technological upgrades is the convergence of smart cards and IT. Future versions of smart cards need to be compatible with IT since it is ubiquitous. If compatibility issues arise, there will be a reduction in the number of smart card deployments, which will cause replacement of smart cards with next-generation authentication technologies.

As Smart Cards Move toward an Open Platform, Greater Interoperability is Expected to Drive Future Growth

The need for a level playing field across verticals is driving the smart card market toward an open platform. The Global Platform, which previously only supported Java Card, now also supports the MULTOS platform. This is providing an impetus to build a standardized open platform. The aim is to increase the scope of applications that can be interlinked, and thereby offer interoperability to customers.

"As part of this move, any application written in a common language will work on all platforms under the common specifications and smart cards will work on any terminal or reader that is part of the Global Platform specification," explains the analyst. "The short-term objective is to deploy a specification that provides interoperability between the MULTOS and the Java card platforms."

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