"With the growth in smart card use especially in e- and m-commerce where transactions are expected to top $3 trillion by 2002, highly reliable and convenient authentication of identity is urgently required to help counteract fraud and chargebacks," says Ian Taylor, director, Domain Dynamics. "Tespar- derived algorithms require only a tiny amount of space - working alongside other applications even on a standard 8 bit smart card - to verify the key characteristics of an individual's voice."

In practice, a template created from enrolment samples of the smart card holder's voice is stored on a standard 8 bit, 8 kilobyte Java Smart Card. In the transaction process, the cardholder inserts his or her card into the terminal and gives a speech sample. A verification Applet implemented in Java byte code then runs on the smart card to determine if the new live voice template matches the information on the card.

The verification process takes only milliseconds, says Taylor, while initial enrolment requires as few as three speech samples and takes about two minutes. The technology can integrated with other security mechanisms, including Public Key Infrastructure.

The company saays its Tespar technology is robust and flexible enough to verify the key characteristics of speakers even when they are in a noisy places, have colds, are eating sweets, or are under the influence of alcohol.

Domain Dynamics has licensing arrangements with ET Voice (a subsidiary of European Telecom) to incorporate the technology in mobile phone handsets and with Earthport.com to provide additional speaker verification security to its Internet-based payment system.