Source: Bell ID
Bell ID and MAOSCO, today announced an agreement for Bell ID to join the MULTOS Consortium. As a result Bell ID will gain an influential seat on the Systems Forum and Business Advisory Group of the MULTOS standards body. As a Systems member, Bell ID has voting rights over the further development of specifications relating to off-card data preparation and personalisation of MULTOS applications. Bell ID will also have automatic rights to implement the recently released MULTOS step/one off-card specifications for key management and data preparation of EMV and other value added applications.
MULTOS step/one is the entry level MULTOS platform for financial institutions migrating to EMV.
Bell ID has a significant level of MULTOS expertise. In 2002, Bell ID ANDIS system was the first CMS to demonstrate the post-issuance loading of value added applications to MULTOS v 4.0 cards over the internet, and in 2003 was the first to show data preparation and personalisation of the MasterCard M/Chip 4 for MULTOS application. Since then Bell ID's ANDIS CMS has been used to perform data preparation and issuance of MULTOS cards in major multi-application smart card projects in Asia. In the course of 2005, Bell ID, MAOSCO and MasterCard will jointly develop new smart card issuance solutions for financial and ID MULTOS projects.
Igno Peters, Managing Director of Bell ID, stated: "As a leader in the multi-application smart card management business, we already have extensive expertise in MULTOS. By joining the MAOSCO consortium, we can contribute our knowledge to the future development of the off-card MULTOS specifications for the benefit of our growing number of MULTOS customers."
Steve Everhard, CEO of MAOSCO Ltd, said: "For Bell ID to join the Consortium at this new Systems Member level adds to their impressive list of 'firsts' in the multi-application smart card sector. We look forward to the added value their participation will bring to the development of MULTOS and MULTOS step/one and welcome them into the Consortium."