Smart cards are used for applications including access control, banking, and mobile-phone subscriber identification. Typically the size of a credit card, they contain an embedded microprocessor with a secure operating system that can establish an encrypted connection with a card reader.

Where?
Public transport is one area where contactless cards are useful, as passengers don't have to stop and insert their ticket into barriers. At the recent Cartes show in Paris, Sun partner Trusted Logic SA of Versailles, France, demonstrated a Java Card version of the Navigo contactless ticketing application used by the Paris public transport authority, RATP.

How fast is it?
It is plenty fast enough for transport applications, said Frédéric Bouchy, director of software development at Trusted Logic. As the card is passed in front of the reader, it takes just 100 milliseconds to exchange the six or seven pieces of information necessary to authorize access to the transport system, he said.

Available?
Contactless cards running the Java Card platform are available now while enhanced support for contactless cards should be included in version 2.2.2 of the Java Card specification, due for publication in the first half of next year

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