6 Oct 2010

LEGIC will be able to ensure increased product compatibility by becoming a MIFARE licensee
LEGIC Identsystems Ltd announced that it will support NXP Semiconductors' MIFARE technology in its reader platforms. By becoming a MIFARE licensee, LEGIC will be able to ensure that its reader components and systems are compatible with the portfolio of MIFARE-based smart cards, including MIFARE™ Classic, MIFARE Plus™ and MIFARE DESFire™ EV1. The agreement will foster LEGIC in its position as a leading supplier of multi-standard identification technology. Users will be able to combine the benefits of the two most advanced contactless technologies worldwide.

By integrating MIFARE technology in its LEGIC reader components, LEGIC addresses the need to serve global markets with a single reader device and true multi-standard systems. This will provide a wide variety of benefits for customers. From a technological point of view, the migration from first to more advanced generations of contactless identification solutions will become easier as MIFARE Classic or LEGIC prime installations can be smoothly migrated to latest technology, including LEGIC advant and LEGIC card-in-card solutions, a virtual transponder, which can be implemented on the NXP SmartMX™ secure microcontroller platform. System operators benefit from the easy handling of multiple technologies. End-users will gain more flexibility due to an increased range of selectable applications and possibilities to merge their systems. The agreement accommodates manufacturers and reduces their development efforts and their operational and logistics costs.

"Connecting the MIFARE and LEGIC platforms addresses the evolving needs of end-users worldwide"

"This expansion of the MIFARE licensing programme further underscores the importance of MIFARE as an open architecture platform for end-to-end solutions. The trusted MIFARE contactless technology is used in many different applications including public transportation, access management, event ticketing and customer loyalty. This agreement will enable LEGIC to integrate MIFARE into its existing product portfolio of powerful security and multi-application management solutions, enabling system integrators to benefit from an enlarged ecosystem," said Henri Ardevol, Vice President and General Manager, Secure Transactions, NXP Semiconductors. "In addition, NXP and LEGIC share the common goal to support continuous security upgrades based on the evolution and extension of established platforms."

Urs A. Lampe, Vice President Product Marketing and New Business of LEGIC: "Connecting the MIFARE and LEGIC platforms addresses the evolving needs of end-users worldwide. Thanks to the enhanced interoperability of our technologies, we are offering even more choice and flexibility for our customers while also providing them with an easy upgrade path. We are convinced that this partnership will give us the opportunity to set an important milestone in the establishment of multi-standard systems and the simple use of new technology generations."