The History of Smart Card Technology

The smart card as we know it has become a very common convenience and it was introduced in it’s modern form in 1978. These days smart cards are seen in a wide variety of devices that we use every day from cell phones to credit cards, debit cards and memory devices. The main function of the smart card is to use the technology of compact chips to process data inside whatever device it is used in. Smart cards resemble credit cards, many of which have proportions which are identical to their credit and debit card cousins, with the also similar magnetic stripe on the back. Rather than relying thousands of microscopic magnets oriented in a particular way to represent the user’s information, smart cards can electronically store considerably more information with the use of a microchip. Generally they are used for financial payment instruments, security badges and authentication mechanisms for computer equipment.

Contact Based Smart Cards

Quite simply, contact based smart cards are those which need to be plugged into something in order for them to work. There are two types of these contact based smart cards available, one of which is a memory card which will only allow memory to be read and written to it. The other type is a microprocessor card which has processing capabilities as well as memory. It is the latter type of contact based smart card which is used in complex devices such as mobile phones and credit cards. Memory cards are the other common type of smart cards, being used as they are in cameras, laptops and other devices which makes use of storage. Mobile phones use these kinds of cards in order to add extra functionality to that which their SIM cards already provide.

Contactless Smart Cards

This type of contactless smart card communicates with other devices via the use of radio frequency identification technology (RFID). During the entire communication process the card at no point needs to touch the surface of the reading device. It is this sort of technology that is used to make activities such as boarding a bus or paying with a credit card much faster and easier.

Concerns Over Security

The introduction of thse contactless smart cards initially sparked fears over potential security risks. The worry was that since there was a distance between transmitter and receiver, a potential identity theif would be able to stand a small distance from the transmitter and read the data from the card. Fortunately these concerns were unfounded since data on the card was encrypted using at least 128-bit encryption, making it highly unlikely that any theif would be able to process the data.

Contact Sections

Smart cards can receive electrical signals from different locations from different readers. Every card reader that a contact based smart car is placed in will place it’s electrical contacts on top of the car, right above each section. to prevent signals from going to the wrong end of the card the metal contacts are split from one another.

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Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of smart and combi cards manufacturer, Universal Smart Cards.

Of late, smart cards have become a growing industry. They have immense uses in the present time and are used extensively in almost every domain of life. Smart cards have gained popularity due to their wide application. They have made their presence felt in almost every field including payphones, banking and retail, communication, security control and many more. With the use of Internet and e commerce, smart cards have gained momentum and there are a plethora of usages of smart cards.

In this day and age, it has become quite impossible to move out, shop or even eat without having a smart card. Smart cards have indeed become an integral part of our lives since they are easy to carry along and use. These portable cards have made life much easier than it used to be before. They serve as reliable identification cards and are absolutely safe to use. In this article, we will throw light on the prime uses of smart cards, which are mentioned below:

Payphones

There are several countries where payphones are well equipped with card readers. Their benefit to the phone companies is that they are not required to collect coins and also they get timely payment in the most convenient manner. People like to use their smart cards at payphones, because they need not keep their eyes on their wallet every time to see if they have adequate money or not.

Banking and Retailing

Smart banking cards have multiple uses. They can be used as debit cards, credit cards or store value cards. Smart cards also serve as a good personal identification proof. There is an intelligent microchip on the smart card as well as on the card reader that secures the interest of users, merchants as well as bank. Of late, smart cards have given impetus to loyalty programs.

Security Control

Every organization whether school or private firm needs some form of security control. Though there are several kinds of security control measures, but smart cards are considered to be better than the rest, as they operate offline as well. Smart card authenticates a person’s identity and is extensively used in schools and offices nowadays. It also gives an access to individuals such as students in restricted areas. They can easily enter computer rooms by showing their smart cards on the smart card reader.

Mobile Phone Communication

Smart cards have great use in the field of mobile phone communication. For GSM digital mobile phones, these cards make a wonderful identification device. They store every bit of information to bill the smart card user. Also, smart cards enable the user to make calls from any phone terminal.

Health Care Services

Smart cards give accessibility to the patients’ case history. Information is properly stored and can be accessed at any point of time.  Health care professionals access patients’ information, which is stored on their smart cards, and update the same in their official records. Smart cards also pave way for instant insurance processing. In fact, nowadays doctors and nurses also carry smart identification cards that enable them to do multi level information accessing.

E-commerce

Smart cards are widely used for performing a host of electronic commercial transactions. You can buy articles of your choice over the Internet. You can get the tickets booked via Internet by means of smart card. You can order flowers, birthday gifts and do a lot more by using your smart card as a credit card or debit card. Smart cards have great use in service industries, as you can easily make payments online for services provided by the other party.

To conclude, smart card has become the buzzword in present times and almost every person has one smart card or the other.

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Bahrain Smart Card Conference and Exhibition organized by Bahrain Information Technology Society – BITS with participation of eSgulf. Demonstration of Smart card technologies for National ID and Homeland security

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