NXP’s MIFARE® DESFire® EV2 Fast Tracks Multi-Application Smart Cards

KARLSRUHE, Germany, March 01, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) today, announced the launch of a new contactless development platform specifically designed to champion new and emerging business models for the smart card market – MIFARE^® DESFire^® EV2.

Offering an improved operating range and security support from NXP’s latest platform, MIFARE DESFire EV1, up to Common Criteria level EAL5+ MIFARE DESFire EV2 is an ideal platform to enable the smart infrastructures of tomorrow. With DESFire EV2 multiple applications, such as public transport ticketing, bike rental, access management, closed-loop payments, membership, loyalty programs and much more, can now be integrated on a single smart card.

The new MIFARE DESFire EV2 platform is fully backwards compatible with existing MIFARE DESFire installations, offering a fast replacement and migration for established providers wanting to upgrade their systems. The new platform will be demonstrated at the IT-Trans Conference and Exhibition, held March 1-3, 2016 inKarlsruhe, Germany.

One of the differentiating features of NXP‘s new MIFARE DESFire EV2 is the ability to seamlessly incorporate and add different applications onto the smart cards once they have been issued and are being used by consumers. In the past, adding new applications to a smart card already in circulation was cumbersome – updates typically required access to the master security key and so cards had to be recalled from the field. Different operating environments also limited the types of applications that could be loaded onto the card resulting in additional complexity when creating apps. Now, with the innovative MIsmartApp and an enhanced key management system developed for MIFARE DESFire EV2, independent system integrators can create a single application for different environments or card systems without the card provider sharing the master security key

“The second evolution of our industry-leading MIFARE DESFire open architecture platform for smart cards offers exceptional performance, state-of-the-art security and privacy as well as enhanced multi- application support to make new business models possible,” said Ulrich Huewels, general manager and senior vice president, secure identification solutions, NXP Semiconductors. “It also enables a significantly enhanced consumer experience. MIFARE has always been known as a fast and convenient contactless ticketing solution. Now consumers can use the same device for other applications such as payments or student ID.”

“NXP’s MIFARE DESFire EV2 allows cities to easily integrate additional services like our bike-sharing service to existing city cards,” said Sebastian Schlebusch, director international business development, nextbike GmbH. “As a provider of complementary mobility services to existing public transport systems we are collaborating closely with public transport authorities around the globe to integrate our services with their well-established public transport networks. Here, the MIFARE DESFire EV2 platform provides us with unprecedented levels of flexibility. It gives us the potential to significantly increase our customer base while offering an innovative and useful service.”

“We have been using MIFARE DESFire and MIFARE DESFire EV1 for more than 10 years and appreciate the continuous evolution of this NXP product family,” saidPascal Roux, innovation manager, Xerox Business Solutions France. “The new features and the enhanced performance and security level of MIFARE DESFire EV2 will enable outstanding fare collection systems.”

The new MIFARE DESFire EV2 development platform also includes the Transaction MAC (TMAC), a verification feature for card transactions. Ideal for contactless systems with multiple operators and /or merchants, the TMAC ensures that all payment claims to the merchant clearing houses are valid and can be processed. The TMAC allows the backend systems to detect forged transactions, a repeat of a valid transaction and unreported transactions.