Princeton Junction, NJ, August 18, 2003–The Smart Card Alliance has announced its Fall Conference program, “Smart Cards in Motion,” focusing on one of the principal drivers of the widening use of smart card technology–mobility. The three-day agenda is rich with users who will advise attendees on the experiences of recent smart card implementations in banking, quick service restaurants and retailing, mass transit and corporate enterprises.

“Smart Cards in Motion” will be held October 14 -16, 2003 at the Sawgrass Marriott Resort in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The conference is open to non-members. Member organizations receive special pricing. The agenda and online registration can be found on the Alliance website, https://www.securetechalliance.org.

“We chose mobility as our theme because smart cards are all about taking the capability to pay or identify yourself with you,” said Randy Vanderhoof, executive director of the Smart Card Alliance. “In fact, mobility is so important, it has expanded our industry. It’s not just about cards anymore. Today, smart cards are no longer defined by what is in our wallets but also by what we carry in our pockets, around our necks, on key chains, in our mobile phones and other embedded devices. The form factor may vary, but the chip technology remains at the core of what’s driving these issuers of smart cards,” said Vanderhoof.

Attendees will gain insights into new technologies and new approaches to payments and identity verification such as proximity payments, mobile commerce, loyalty applications and biometrics for point-of-sale. A significant development is the increased use of contactless technology. With greater convenience, faster transaction speeds, low operating costs and broadening device compatibility, issuers and consumers are benefiting from these more secure, mobile chip technologies. Speakers and panelists will explore the many uses for contactless technology for Quick Service Retail (QSR), mass transit and integrated access control and payments.

The Fall Conference offers attendees the best opportunity to learn about the role of smart cards in the growing North American market and how they can resolve important issues in the U.S. financial, retail, transit, pay TV and wireless markets. The keynote and panels are as follows:

Financial Keynote Address: A leading financial industry analyst will examine the movement towards world-wide adoption of smart cards across Europe, Asia and South America and project what that will likely mean for North American adoption in the future.

Panels:

Financial Association: Representatives from the financial associations will participate in a moderated question and answer session on the important issues facing the U.S. financial industry such as financial fraud, regulatory compliance, merchant acceptance, payments infrastructure, and consumer issues.

Financial Vendor: Payments infrastructure stakeholders will share the latest industry trends and insights into what current and future offerings will bring to the financial industry.

Merchant: Representatives from the merchant community will share their experiences with contactless payments technologies and its impact on sales, operations and customer acceptance.

Pay TV: This group of speakers will provide the perspective of the growing U.S. digital cable and satellite television marketplace by addressing the business issues, infrastructure, and security requirements of an industry supported by smart card technology.

Wireless: Several of the largest cellular operators in the U.S. are building next generation wireless networks that include cell phones equipped with chip technology. This session will include views from analysts, operators and technology providers of the changes taking place in here and around the world and what that might mean to the more than 150 million customers in the U.S.

Enterprise Security: Securing the enterprise is one of the hottest areas in the smart card industry. With the new sense of urgency for tightening control of facilities and personnel, major corporations are implementing smart identification credentials that incorporate PKI, biometrics and contactless features for physical and IT security. This session will provide examples of what these commercial entities are doing to address their security needs and how they plan to build on it in the future.

Government: The Federal government has issued more than 3.5 million smart card IDs to date. In doing so they have been knocking down barriers and setting new standards that are benefiting the commercial industry as well. This session will look at what’s next for Federal programs like the Common Access Card, biometrically identifiable travel documents, and the Department of Homeland Security initiatives as well as some of the innovative programs to manage credentials across government and commercial boundaries.

Transit: Presentations will look at the more than 13 announced smart card projects for automated fare collection underway in the U.S. and discuss the convergence of transit and other financial payments applications.

Birds-of-a-Feather: small discussion groups will gather with a moderator for an open discussion and exchange of ideas on relevant topics, including:

• Enterprise-wide Identities–what will it take to get there, is it a good idea, what are the obstacles to overcome?
• Fraud and Liability as Drivers for Adoption–Fraud is happening elsewhere around the world, will it happen here, what are the acceptable thresholds, and is risk management a driver in the U.S.?
• Pros and Cons for Multi-function Cards–Does it make sense to combine technologies and applications together and which combinations work and which don’t and why?

The Smart Card Alliance’s Educational Institute courses will be offered immediately preceding the conference program, on Monday, October 13th from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. These courses offer a comprehensive educational opportunity to understand the basic of smart cards and their applications, as covered in the EI 101 course; or a more in depth look at the business issues and technology of smart cards applications covered in the EI 202 course. Both courses were developed by leading industry professionals and are presented in an interactive, classroom environment.

The Alliance estimates that 70 million Americans are now using smart cards in 30 million mobile phones, 20 million TV set top boxes, 15 million bankcards, 3.5 million government identity credentials and one million corporate IDs, among many other uses in the United States and Canada. Analysts predict a U.S. market value of $475 million by 2006.

About the Smart Card Alliance

The Smart Card Alliance is a not-for-profit, multi-industry association working to accelerate the acceptance of smart card technology. Through specific projects such as education programs, market research, advocacy, industry relations and open forums, the Alliance keeps its members connected to industry leaders and innovative thought. The Alliance is the single industry voice for smart cards, leading industry discussion on the impact and value of smart cards in the U.S. For more information please visit https://www.securetechalliance.org.