The ''Jewel'' contactless ticketing chip from RFID design services firm, Innovision Research & Technology, has approved by ITSO for ''Limited Use'' media (including applications such as transport ticketing) in the United Kingdom.

     The announcement means that UK transport operators, authorities and systems integrators have the option to use Jewel chips to create contactless ITSO-approved ticketing systems for all fare structures. 116.30.197.100 This article is copyright 2005 UsingRFID.com.

     ITSO, which evolved in 1998 out of an initiative by UK passenger transport executives, focuses on developing specifications that enable the use of interoperable contactless smartcards in public transport. ITSO is a member-controlled organisation that maintains the ITSO specification for members and the Crown. Members of ITSO include PTEs, local authorities, passenger transport operators and suppliers of equipment, systems and services.

Approval process
     All parts of an ITSO scheme are subject to rigorous testing. For the approval process, in this case, twenty tickets were fitted with a Jewel chip and tested against the ITSO customer media check list, which ensures that the tag can be configured and used according to the ITSO ''Limited Use'' transport ticket requirements. These requirements demand that:

 

The ITSO compact shell can be applied to the ticket
The chip''s memory architecture is correct
The 8 byte User ID (UID) on the tickets cannot be erased
The chip supports ''anti-tear''.

     Although Jewel will appear on ITSO''s list of approved ticketing media, any manufacturer using the chip in their ticketing media will also need to submit their media for full ITSO certification before it can be used.

     According to Trevor Crotch-Harvey, sales director for Innovision R&T, "This opens up the UK contactless ticketing market for us, and we''re excited about the future opportunities, and are already working with the industry to roll out the chips as quickly as possible."

 

 

 

                                                                                                                 Extract From Using RFID