Oberthur Card Systems Unveils GIGAntIC

Jan. 25, 2005
Fully operation USIM card includes 128MB of glash memory

PARIS --Oberthur Card Systems, a global leader in smart card technology, and M-Systems, the leading developer of innovative flash data storage solutions for digital consumer electronics markets, have joined forces to revolutionise the telecommunications sector by announcing Oberthur Card Systems' new GIGAntIC card, the first fully functional 128Mbyte USIM(1) card empowered by M-Systems' MegaSIM technology.

With the GIGAntIC, a new generation of USIM cards with unlimited device interoperability has arrived -- one that can offer security and programmability, combined with a totally new level of USIM card performances. Compared to current USIM cards available today in the field, Oberthur's GIGAntIC increases the memory capacity by one thousand and the communication speed far and beyond any current industry performance.

This augurs a new area for the increasingly ubiquitous smart cards -- as today found in telecommunications, banking, transport and ID segments -- while taking a gigantic step forward in bridging the security, telecoms, multimedia and IT industries.

The new card provides a standardised and easily accessible and transferable memory resource, alleviating the need to design additional card slots in handsets and for the bundling of memory cards that is commonplace in many of today's smart-phones.

Fundamentally, the MegaSIM empowered GIGAntIC card's secure large flash memory enables operators to offer considerably more revenue-generating services, with advanced crypto-functionality for digital content protection -- allowing storage and secured access to MP3 files (several albums), Java Games, video clips, pictures and personal settings.

With the advent of this new card, M-Systems and Oberthur Card Systems are once again at the forefront of smart card design for the telecoms market, leveraging an optimal combination of the most innovative and proven technologies.

GIGAntIC cards will be available from Oberthur Card Systems starting with the second half of 2005.

More details on Oberthur Card Systems' new GIGAntIC card and M-Systems' MegaSIM technology will be revealed at the 3GSM Congress in Cannes, in February 2005.

Key Features:

  • Smart card security applications, including DRM, encryption, random number generator, PKI and RSA
  • High speed data protocols including USB and MMC
  • Backwards compatibility to industry standards for end-user convenience
  • Cost and size economies compared to other memory offerings
  • Scalability, transferability, interoperability
  • Programmability