France's Gemplus will head a consortium of 16 smart card manufacturers with the aim of delivering interoperable smart card technology for use in interactive Trusted Personal Devices (TPD).
The project, called Inspired, is being funded by the European Commission and will aim to develop a new generation of smart card technology for Trusted Personal Devices (TPD) that will provide secure access to online services.
The consortium includes ActivCard, Axalto, France Telecom, Giesecke & Devrient and Schlumberger Systemes. The Université Catholique de Louvain and the University of Twente will also be involved in the project.
All aspects of smart card technology will be studied, including the silicon component platform, cryptography and security authentication protocols for data protection and operating systems.
Gemplus says as a result of Inspired, users will see growing interoperability between a widening range of online services and will be able to connect to them in an increasingly secure environment.