Joint Smart Card & RFID Lab will fuel development of innovative applications for smart cards in the region

Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, August 23, 2006–The computer engineering department, at King Fahad University of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, has established a Joint StepNexus / KFUPM Smart Card & RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Laboratory. Dr Wasim Raad, coordinator of the new lab said: “The new lab will have great potential in supporting innovative projects in smart card applications conducted by students. StepNexus has provided KFUPM with MULTOS smart card programming tools, dual interface readers and MULTOS smart cards which will enable the lab to help in providing consultation and technical training to the local industry in various aspects related to smart card systems, particularly in supporting the national ID project of the kingdom in addition to e-Payment and health care projects”.

Dr Wasim also said: “KFUPM already has excellent experience in managing smart card access control systems, since it was among the first few universities in the Kingdom to establish a smart card access control system across its campus a couple of years ago.” StepNexus coordinates the consortium that manages the MULTOS open standard, and operates or licenses the Secure Trusted Environment Provisioning technology that MULTOS implements for the installation and deletion of applications. StepNexus will provide KFUPM with the necessary technical support and internationally acknowledged training certificates. Current projects include: e-Passport, e-Business, access control, pre-paid energy and RFID based wearable systems for health care projects. The new lab will also support research in various areas related to smart cards & RFID.