Citation: Computergram International, August 24, 1994 pCGI08240006

Title: British Telecom plans to move to smart phone cards.

Reference #: A16243706

Full Text COPYRIGHT Apt Data Services (UK) 1994

BRITISH TELECOM PLANS TO MOVE TO SMART PHONE CARDS

In what sounds like bad news for Drexler Technology Corp, British Telecommunications Plc yesterday said it had placed contracts for new phone cards and phone card payphones that will use embedded microprocessor Smart Cards. It has ordered phones from GEC Plessey Telecommunications Ltd, Landis & Gyr AG and Schlumberger Ltd, and Gemplus SA and GEC Plessey PT will supply the cards, which are to be introduced into service during 1995. The new Smart phone card will again be a pre-paid card with the value of the call being debited from the chip in the card - and the company sees the initiative as a means of getting Smart Crads used more widely - it will be happy to see the cards used for paying for other services as well as phone calls. The company is said to be investing #10m to #20m in the effort. It is also working on interactive information booths that could display maps and dispense printed ones, and offer hotel and tourist advice and could be used to book accommodation using either credit cards or Smart Cards. GEC Plc has been working on a contactless Smart Card for a decade now, but it is not clear whether it will use its own design or license the Gemplus design. Gemplus, Gemenos, is working on a Smart Card using the 32-bit ARM RISC.