Mifare, Oyster and ITSO Cards Hacked Smart Card & Identity News

What are the changes or differences you see in market demand today as opposed to five years
ago?
I don’t know if you are aware but five years ago I was working as a venture capitalist and looking at the
emerging markets, so I feel very qualified to answer this particular question. 2002 was the year after the
technology ‘bubble’ had burst, and the market had begun to slow down. There are no major differences in
demand to note, although it was around the time that Bluetooth was adopted with a very similar appetite to the
enthusiasm that surrounds NFC today.
Do you think your impressive financial pedigree as well as international recognition (De
Tonnac was awarded the ID trail blazer award) attracted Motorola and other major players to
invest?
Excuse my lack of modesty, but definitely, yes. Inside Contactless were rewarded with an innovation award at
the Sesames 2007. In the same way that an employer looks at a resume, investors look at how successful our
company is. We have an annual turnover of 200 million US dollars and employ over 500 people worldwide. In
my experience, an investor considers three factors. First, an interest in the NFC market which Motorola
certainly has. Secondly, satisfaction with the technology and intellectual property which I believe we provide
and finally, the right people and appropriate management for the task.
So what are the critical factors in Inside Contactless’ success?
Consistency. We have had the same people working for us for 12 years and we all share the same goals. Our
technicians are experts in their fields who live, breathe, eat, sleep and drink contactless cards. We are engaging a
crusade to introduce NFC to the world! We have 60 patents and a healthy bottom-line profit; the company
really has come a long way. We hold 70% of the market share because of our assets such as our microprocessor.
In an innovative market we have continued to make breakthroughs, and we are a forerunner in the industry
because of this.
Finally in light of the Motorola investment, what are your long and short term goals?
In the short term, over the next 12 months we want to gain a strong position within the US and develop some
revenue streams. We will tap into new markets such as the UK, and Canada which is moving towards dual
interface technology. We also aim to capitalise on Motorola’s investment by speeding up the NFC adoption
process. In the long term, we will massively invest in software and increase our chip sales. We must be willing
to go public and primarily make some money!
De Tonnac predicts a bright future for NFC, and is confident that he and his staff can lead the explosion of
contactless applications. With continued high performance, and financial injection from major players, Inside
Contactless seems to have all the ingredients for success. De Tonnac’s latest coup in signing Motorola to the
cause will only serve to enhance his company’s already lofty reputations in the industry.
News In Brief
Australian Go Card Transport
Systems Crash
Queensland news have reported the new Go Card
smartcard system has suffered another devastating
credibility blow - only a day after the Bligh
Government boasted the long-overdue project was
"going well" and nearing completion.
Thousands of morning peak-hour train commuters
struggled to buy a ticket on the 15 th January when
all 179 high-tech TransLink smartcard machines
Smart Card & Identity News • January 2008
across the CityTrain network went into meltdown
for nine hours.
Besieged contractor Cubic Transportation Systems
was supposed to be installing new software on a
few machines overnight but instead crashed the
whole system. Some machines even began spitting
out Japanese to frustrated patrons.
The lack of purchase points forced Queensland
Rail into an embarrassing backdown of a new fareevasion
campaign as commuters travelled free or
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