Fields narrow between Oberthur and AuthenTec

NANTERRE, FRANCE: Oberthur Technologies, provider of security and identification solutions and services based on smart card technologies and AuthenTec, a provider of security and identity management solutions, have joined forces to create SIM / Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) based designs that make NFC mobile payment via Smartphones faster and more secure.

Both companies combined their expertise in SIM/UICC security and fingerprint identity to jointly create easy-to-integrate solutions that enhance the speed and security of mobile payment transactions, says a press release.The first fingerprint/NFC demonstration presents Oberthur Technologies’ NFC FlyBuy SIM card with NFC SIM Adaptor coupled with AuthenTec’s fingerprint scanner in the Motorola Atrix to enable single-gesture, biometrically secured access to mobile contactless services, such as mobile payment, mobile ID, and physical access control.

INSIDE Secure views the security and convenience illustrated by the Oberthur Technologies -AuthenTec design as important enablers of widespread adoption for NFC applications,” said a high ranking official at INSIDE Secure. “We look forward to our continued collaboration with Oberthur Technologies and AuthenTec on fast and secure add-on solutions for NFC mobile payments.”

“Combining AuthenTec’s fingerprint authentication with the security features of Oberthur Technologies’ SIM-based design increases trust beyond the SIM and the mobile device to establish confidence that only an authorized user is presenting a smartphone for mobile payment,” said Cédric Collomb, Cards and Services General Manager, Card Systems Division at Oberthur Technologies. “The AuthenTec-Oberthur Technologies solution, which incorporates INSIDE Secure’s NFC chipset, can easily be inserted into smartphones such as the Atrix to quickly add NFC capability. We look forward to bringing similar SIM-based, fingerprint-enabled NFC solutions to the market, since we believe they will be key to a broad adoption of NFC around the world.”