Technology Talk

Smart Cards, chip cards, or integrated circuit cards (ICC), is defined as any pocket-sized card with embedded integrated circuits which can process information. This implies that it can receive input which is processed - by way of the ICC applications - and delivered as an output. There are two broad categories of ICC’s that offer different uses. The first category of ICC’s is Memory cards contain only non-volatile memory storage components, and perhaps some specific security logic. The second category on the other hand is called Microprocessor cards that contain volatile memory and microprocessor components. The card is made of plastic, generally PVC, but sometimes ABS. The card may embed a hologram to avoid counterfeiting.

Smart cards provide means of effective business transactions in a flexible, secure, standard way with minimal human intervention. The applications of smart cards include their use as credit, ATM, and Bonus Cards, in a fuel card, SIMs for mobile phones, authorization cards for pay television, pre-pay utilities in household, high-security identification and access-control cards, and public transport and public phone payment cards. A quickly growing application is in digital identification cards. In this application, the cards are used for authentication of identity. The most common example is in conjunction with a PKI. The smart card will store an encrypted digital certificate issued from the PKI along with any other relevant or needed information about the card holder and provide a Character Display of the information.