New TI Contactless Chips Enable New Shapes For Payment Cards
A contactless payment key fob smaller than the keys on your keychain and a thin oval-shaped wristband are just two of the payment possibilities enabled by Texas Instruments ISO/IEC 14443 contactless payment chip and antenna packages. According to TI, "the release of the industry's smallest payment products, fully MasterCard PayPass certified, brings new versatility and convenience to the contactless payments industry, as issuing banks explore a range of form factors, from traditional cards to fobs and wristbands."
TI has delivered its postage stamp-sized inlay in PVC pre-laminate form to Oberthur Card Systems for development of its VersaFOB keyfob, and its oval- shaped payment product to MasterCard for its PayPass wristband.TI's secure microcontroller-based contactless PVC pre-laminates contain its ISO/ IEC 14443 chip, payment application and the industry's smallest fully-certified RF (Radio Frequency) antennas. The postage stamp-sized inlay antenna measures 20 mm x 25 mm and the oval-shaped inlay antenna is 41 mm x 20 mm. TI's chip operates at extremely low power using a tiny RF antenna to deliver a fast transaction speed (typically 120 milliseconds) and a four centimeter read range, which enables a successful transaction the first time a customer "taps" the fob to the payment reader. The chip and payment application software are also approved by MasterCard to operate in dynamic CVC3 transaction authorization mode which offers issuers the highest level of security available.
The company designs its contactless PVC pre-laminates in a range of innovative keyfob and wristband form factors, so that card manufacturers can offer payment devices to issuers in a variety of shapes and sizes. TI's contactless payment technology supports credit, debit and pre-paid transactions.
"TI's ability to create such a small antenna to fit our unique VersaFOB concept allows us to produce MasterCard PayPass certified contactless payment fobs that can be personalized and mass-produced using standard processes, lowering costs for our banking clients while offering them a unique product," said Francine Dubois, director of marketing, financial products & services, Oberthur Card Systems of America.
"TI has delivered leaf-shaped PVC pre-laminate with an embedded chip and antenna that is a perfect fit for our PayPass wristbands," said Richard Fletcher, Group Head, Mobile/Wireless, MasterCard Worldwide. "At sporting events, for example, consumers with PayPass-enabled wristbands can enjoy faster service for concessions so they can quickly get back to watching the game."
"The ways to pay via contactless come in devices of limitless variety, shape and size," said Trevor Pavey, manager of contactless payments, TI. "Our ability to develop RF antennas about the size of a quarter, combined with our fast PayPass-certified chip and software, leads the way for new small form factors."
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