Smart Card:
Smart card is a small electronic
device about the size of a credit card that contains electronic memory, and
possibly an embedded integrated circuit (IC).It contains an embedded microchip
that can be loaded with data, used for telephone calling, electronic cash
payments, and other applications, and then periodically refreshed for
additional use. It is made of plastic, generally polyvinyl chloride, but
sometimes polyethylene terephthalate based polyesters, acrylonitrile butadiene
styrene or polycarbonate. Systems that are enhanced with smart cards are in use
today in various domains like healthcare, banking, entertainment,
transportation and others.
How Smart Cards Work:-
A
smart card contains more information as compared to a magnetic stripe card & it can be programmed for different
applications. Some cards can contain programming and data to support multiple
applications and some can be updated to add new applications after they are
issued. A smart card reader (a
small device into which you insert the smart card) is needed to pull
information from smart card or add data to it.
An industry standard interface between
programming and PC hardware in a smart card has been defined by the PC/SC
Working Group, representing Microsoft, IBM, Bull, Schlumberger, and other
interested companies. Another standard is called OpenCard. There are two
leading smart card operating systems: JavaCard and MULTOS.
Global Market:-
Globally, over a billion smart cards are
in use already. Today, Europe is the region where they are frequently used. MarketsandMarkets, a research firm, predicts
that the global shipments of smart cards are expected to reach about 8.8
billion units by 2015 from 5.2 billion units in 2009, growing at a CAGR of 9.6%
during 2010 – 2015. Another study forecasts a $26.5 billion market for
recharging smart cards by 2005. Compaq and Hewlett-Packard are reportedly
working on keyboards that include smart card slots that can be read like bank
credit cards.
Increasing awareness amongst the
population about the benefits of smart cards in access and identity security
and growing adoption in sectors such as telecommunications, healthcare, and
banking have been the reason for the progressive growth of the smart card
market. The increasing penetration of mobile phones has made telecommunications
sector the biggest consumer of smart cards in the form of SIM around the globe.
For reference, I used the smart
card market report by a research firm called MarketsandMarkets, which I
discovered to be very descriptive. The report covers the global smart card
market by forecasting shipments, revenues, and analyzing trends in sub-markets
such as smart card interface, components, and sector specific application. Here
is the link if interested:-
(image Source:- nite.ac.in) 
(Image source: andreonicards) 
No comments:
Post a Comment