Smartspace Software Share Discussion Threads

[rambutan2] 25/1/2007 14:39

it's not looking good for the other train cos to take up the mayor's funding offer, which is just so typical of the whole stupid set up. chiltern has always moved on its own and is a smaller op than the others. unless they recieve some serious theats from high above i think the deadline will pass without any others joining. aimho

[garth] 25/1/2007 14:17

WJ,

Agreed - the lack of detail in the results was mystifying. Perhaps they don't want to be pigeon-holed? That's an inadequate explanation though.

G.

[wjccghcc] 25/1/2007 13:02

But why didn't they even mention ITSO in the results? Seems a bit strange.

[garth] 25/1/2007 12:13

Based on 16,000 Oyster Card readers at present there should be an £800,000 - £1m contract for Ecebs at some point just for supply of ISAMS for the conversion process to ITSO..... Of course as Ken pushes for the globalization of the Oyster dream there should be a whole lot more Oyster/ITSO readers needed...

How the combined card works
The Oyster-enabled Barclaycard explained

Dave Friedlos, Computing 25 Jan 2007

Londoners will be able to use public transport and make low-value contactless payments with the same card as early as this summer.

1 New cards will have a dual interface chip to store data on traditional chip-and-PIN transactions and contactless payments, while a second chip stores Oyster pre-pay and travel card data.

2 Retailers will have to update Oyster readers or install new wave-and-pay systems to receive information. When the chip passes over a device it sends out radio waves to activate the card.

3 Oyster card information is transmitted from one of 16,000 readers to a network of more than 300 computers linked to a central system maintained by TranSys.

4 Financial data is transmitted from the retailer to Visa. It is then passed on to Barclaycard's central system, which manages account deficits.

[rambutan2] 24/1/2007 22:55

re canada ie Martyn Cooper...

[Abuse team] 24/1/2007 08:57

Post removed by ADVFN

[garth] 24/1/2007 08:56

Just a reminder that the Department for Transport has made £19M available for upgrading of Oyster equipment to ensure ITSO compatibility. Every ITSO compliant reader needs an ISAM from Ecebs (Advanced Smartcard Technologies):


Press Release

Transport Secretary and Mayor of London announce new Oyster deal
10-5-2006 238


A deal that will help London's rail passengers get the full benefit of Oyster cards and lay the foundations for a nationally accepted smartcard ticketing scheme has been struck.

The details of the announcement were set out by the new Transport Secretary, Douglas Alexander and London Mayor Ken Livingstone today.

Transport for London has agreed to pay for Oyster validation equipment to be provided for all London rail stations in Zones 1 - 6. It is a significant breakthrough that offers train companies the opportunity to accept Oyster pay-as-you go products on their services.

Transport for London has also agreed to work with the Department for Transport to ensure that all Oyster equipment is capable of accepting other smart cards. These are currently under development for use on public transport across the country by the Integrated Ticketing Smartcard Organisation (ITSO).

This is a further step towards the wider introduction of smart ticketing technology outside of London. It will allow the development of fully integrated ticketing systems in and beyond the Capital, extending the convenience and ease of smartcard technology to millions more passengers.

It builds on the Government's decision to require bidders for the new South Western rail franchise to set out how a new smart ticketing system could be introduced across its franchise area from London to the South Coast.

Announcing the deal, Douglas Alexander the new Transport Secretary said:

"This is a major step forward in ensuring that all passengers can benefit from the improvements new technology can bring. It lays the foundation for a national integrated ticketing scheme that will mean more flexible, quicker and simpler tickets for all public transport passengers."

The Mayor for London Ken Livingstone said:

"The extension of Oyster from just sixty rail stations to over three hundred under this agreement marks a massive step towards a fully integrated ticketing system in London, enabling passengers to move easily between rail, tube, DLR, tram and bus using an Oyster card and without having to buy separate tickets. It will deliver a real improvement to the journeys of thousands of Londoners who currently cannot take advantage of the benefits of Oyster.

"This agreement between myself, the Secretary of State and Transport for London means Oyster card technology will be installed at National Rail stations, ensuring that passengers will now be able to take full advantage of Oyster, which can be topped-up conveniently, offers cheaper fares and speeds up journeys."

Peter Hendy, Transport for London Commissioner, said:

"This plan will bring London's transport network one step closer to being properly integrated, as Transport for London's services have been for several years. It resolves the problem passengers currently face of having to buy two separate tickets to travel on overground rail and Transport for London services. This is an unprecedented opportunity to extend the convenience of Oyster to thousands more Londoners."

The introduction of Oyster technology could start this year at gated stations and once worked through with train operators, Oyster pay-as-you-go could be available at National Rail stations in London during 2008.

Currently there are only 60 London National Rail stations where passengers can use Pay-as-you-go. The total number of stations in London zones 1-6 is 310.

Transport for London introduced the Oyster card in 2003 to speed up passage through Tube gates and boarding buses. Oyster allows 40 people per minute to pass through gates, 15 more than those with magnetic stripe tickets.

Up to three different Travelcards or Bus Pass season tickets and "pay as you go" can be stored on the same Oyster card at the same time. Oyster can be topped up online, over the phone, at Travel Information Centres or at one of 2,200 Oyster-enabled agents. Registered lost or stolen cards with Annual, Monthly Travelcards or with "pay as you go" value stored on them can be stopped and the value transferred onto a new Oyster card, or refunded.


Notes to Editors


The agreement is between the Mayor, Transport for London and the Department for Transport.
Transport for London has agreed provides Oyster Card validation equipment in all national rail stations zones 1-6. This will include smartcard readers, station equipment and back office support systems. The train operator must install the equipment, as well as operate and maintain it.
The Department for Transport has agreed to fund for upgrades to existing Oyster equipment in London to make Oyster gates and validators on the Underground, at major rail termini and on the buses, accept basic alternative Smartcard (ITSO) products. The expected cost is around £19m.
Oyster was introduced in 2003 and there are currently 5 million in use.

[garth] 24/1/2007 08:51

Major rail companies take a slice of £20 million Oyster pie

Posted by Nicole Kobie at 6:17PM, Tuesday 23rd January 2007

Chiltern Railways and c2c are the only firms so far to accept Ken Livingston's offer of funding to install the pay-as-you-go swipe card system.

Two major rail operators have signed up to take advantage a £20 million Oyster card technology funding programme within the past week.

But Chiltern Railways and c2c may be alone in their enthusiasm as other players are running out of time to meet the January 31 deadline to apply for financial support.

Mayor of London Ken Livingston offered the money to train operators in May last year with the aim of financing the installation of card readers and other equipment to run Transport for London's pay-as-you-go swipe card system within travel zones one through six.

Today, Chiltern announced that all its stations within greater London will soon offer Oyster prepay capabilities, including four new locations: Northolt Park, Sudbury and Harrow Road, Sudbury Hill Harrow and Wembley Stadium.

[garth] 23/1/2007 15:03

The Alco news page may be of some interest given the August tie-up with Ecebs:

ALCO to advise DfT on emoney - September 2006

Smartcards in Higher Education - September 2006

ALCO appeals to ITSO members to help UK Transplant - September 2006

Incentives and Loyalty in an "e" Environment – A New Perspective - August 2006

ALCO & Ecebs Announce Agreement: Leading Players cooperate to deliver world class consultancy - August 2006




G.

[garth] 23/1/2007 09:48

Added 'actual' to 2006 in forecasts section.

Just digging on Martyn Cooper. Please correct me if my info is incomplete or in error, but it looks like in 2000 he was with Royal Bank Financial Group and predicting that smartcards were the "ultimate PC" and that they would "catch on". Looks like he then made a move to Mastercard by 2000 and as VP e-business in 2005 represented them as part of the newly formed Transporatation Council on the Smart Card Alliance:


Council web pages:


Not sure exactly what he is doing now but looks to be quite a catch for little Ecebs ;0)

"Martyn stated,"Ecebs core technology Multefile &trade,is a tremendously versatile 'service provision tool' that should be included on all Smart Cards that are deployed into a marketspace."

Quite a statement considering his involvement with Mastercard e-business and the Smart Card Alliance.....



Published on: 9/13/2000 Last Visited: 3/6/2001

MASTERCARD APPOINTS MARTYN COOPER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF E-BUSINESS CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT FOR NORTH AMERICA

...
MASTERCARD APPOINTS MARTYN COOPER AS VICE PRESIDENT OF E-BUSINESS CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT FOR NORTH AMERICA.

Toronto , Ontario , September 13 , 2000 , DATE : [ 09/13/2000 ] MasterCard is pleased to announce the appointment of Martyn Cooper as Vice President of e-Business Customer Management for North America.

In this newly-created position , Mr. Cooper will have primary responsibility for key member customer management and business development for chip , e-commerce and emerging technologies.

Mr. Cooper has more than 16 years experience in the financial services industry. He joins MasterCard from the Royal Bank of Canada , where he was Senior Manager , Smart Card and E-Commerce Development. In this role , he was responsible for establishing the bank's strategic direction for Integrated Circuit ( IC ) chip cards , smart card platforms , and IC chip card operating systems.

MasterCard is taking the lead in e-commerce in the payments industry , said Martyn Cooper. I'm looking forward to working with our member institutions to leverage technology and to further achieve our business goals..

Mr. Cooper has served as Chairperson for the Mondex International Unattended POS Task Force , Vice Chairman for the Canadian Payments Association Smart Cards Standards , and Technology Advisor for the Advanced Card Technology Association of Canada.

[garth] 23/1/2007 08:10

Spud,

thanks. I'll sort that later this morning. Has anyone got access to a new SVS note? Their research page on the website is woefully out of date.......

Thanks,

G.

[spud] 23/1/2007 08:00

Garth

Might be an idea to update the Pre-IPO broker forecasts in the header to include 2006.

spud

[garth] 23/1/2007 07:36

Thanks guys for the article - one of the more informative pieces I've seen on AST/Ecebs. Another small tick up in the shareprice and it feels as though with the maiden results out of the way there may be a slow gathering of interest.

Ram, I did not know about Martyn Cooper either. Looking at the website the news is only about 4 days old......

Ecebs establish North America base with Martyn Cooper



19 - January 2007

Advanced Smartcard Technologies plc are delighted to announce that Martyn Cooper,who is a globally recognized Smart Card industry leader,has joined forces to work with it's wholly owned subsidiary Ecebs Ltd.Martyn is based in Toronto and will look after Ecebs interests in both Canada and the United States.

Commenting on his appointment, Martyn stated,"Ecebs core technology Multefile &trade,is a tremendously versatile 'service provision tool' that should be included on all Smart Cards that are deployed into a marketspace. Multefile allows for new service functionality to be provided after the card has been issued to take advantage of new opportunities that occur in a marketspace, or for existing services to be changed or enhanced in response to changing market conditions. With North America's dynamic approach to business, where speed to market and the ability to capitalize on developing opportunities is key, Multefile is an essential product to have on any smart card platform.

Ecebs have been in the smart card solution business since 2000 with a knowledgeable team that includes several 'smart card pioneers' that have extensive smart card experience gathered from active involvement in smart card developments and deployments globally for more than 20 years. Smart cards are now being nationally deployed by the financial industry in Canada and actively deployed by the transportation industry and government in the US; but this is just the beginning of smart card deployment in North America. If anyone is looking for end-to-end support for smart card strategies or implementation support then look no further than Ecebs to provide that support."

David Braddock, Ecebs Managing Director said, "We are very pleased that Martyn has agreed to work with us.He has a wealth of experience in information and Smart Card Technology within the financial industry in the UK, Canada and USA. He has a large global network of business and technology contacts within the silicon, smart card and e-business communities, this will help us forge future successes for Ecebs and for our core technology, Multefile ä in the North American marketplace."

[blueliner] 23/1/2007 05:25

Thanks for article, good PR & like the margins.

[rambutan2] 22/1/2007 22:08

don't think i knew this?

Earlier this month it announced that Toronto-based Martyn Cooper,a prominent figure in the smartcard industry,has joined forces to work with ASM subsidiary Ecebs to develope its interests both in Canada and the United States.

Smart cards are now being nationally deployed by the financial industry in Canada and actively deployed by the transportation industry and government in the US.But this,says the company,"is just the beginning of smart card deployment in North America"

[masurenguy] 22/1/2007 20:12

Hey Jimmy, For the benefit of you sassanachs here it is :-)

CAPITALISED at only £9 million, and with a share price of just 3.75p, AIM listed Advanced Smartcard Technologies plc (AST) is one of Scotland's smallest quoted companies and liable to fall off the radar for most private investors.

My advice this morning: don't let it. AST is a company - and a share - to watch. AST, based in East Kilbride,has developed a sorftware technology in the field of electronic ticketing called Multefile. It enables smartcard issuers like transport companies to delete,amend or modify applications without requiring a recall or re-issue of the card to end customer users.It means that smartcards used on a mass basis can be individualy re-programmed after issue to tailor its needs to the person using the card.

Demand for smartcards has grown at a phenomenal ratein the past decade,chiefly in the telecoms industry(SIM cards for mobile phones)and in banking("chip and PIN").Multefiles biggest potential is in the new growth areas of transport ticketing-such as the Oyster cards for London Underground-and personal identification such as electronic passports,driving licences and health and leisure establishments.Transport Scotland and Metro Coastlines are both customers. The company,established only in 2000 and which it made its AIM debut just over 12 months ago,is still at a formative stage but it is attracting interest for three reasons.

One is the progress already evident in the preliminary figures for the year to end September which the company announced earlier this month.

Second is the steps the company has taken to expand its sales and marketing operations,both in this country and overseas.

Third is the potential for growth,evident in the endorsment of Royal Bank of Scotland and Scottish Enterprises ITI Techmedia,which is particularly interested in applications in anti-counterfeiting.The company is exploring areas such as medical records biometric security systems.

AST potential is also evident in the notably upbeat statement from chief executive David Bradock that accompanied the results. Sales grew by a modest 3.4 per cent to just over £2 million in the year just ended.But NOTE the margins in this business:gross profit came to £1.5m, up 29 per cent.After administrative expences and bank interest costs,pre-tax profits come to £273,000 against £111,000 previously. Sales agents have been hired in Turkey,Austrailia and New Zealand.Earlier this month it announced that Toronto-based Martyn Cooper,a prominent figure in the smartcard industry,has joined forces to work with ASM subsidiary Ecebs to develope its interests both in Canada and the United States.

Smart cards are now being nationally deployed by the financial industry in Canada and actively deployed by the transportation industry and government in the US.But this,says the company,"is just the beginning of smart card deployment in North America"

For investors prepared to take early developement-stage risk,the longterm potential makes the shares at 3.75p an attactive speculative buy.

[blueliner] 22/1/2007 19:20

article about Advanced Smartcards in Scotsman business section today under
the Scrutineer banner as a buy -
'why investors should keep AST on their radar'
mistake here as AST is the epic code for Ascent Resources
which is what led me to it.
Cannot access full write up as a premium service.

[bonty] 22/1/2007 16:20

Well there you go, they have !?
Pity the sellers seem to appear every time there's a little tick up in the share price

[garth] 22/1/2007 11:56

Thought MM's might have marked them up on the re-location news ;0)

G.

[garth] 19/1/2007 10:01

Grabbed a peak at Shares Mag last night - are they really charging £3.50 now!? ;0)

'Early days, but bags of potential' was the verdict....

G.

[spud] 19/1/2007 09:16

Another small nibble at this one with 45k.

spud

[garth] 18/1/2007 11:47

Thanks blueliner.

Was it just an edit of the results statement - or anything more?

G.

[huttonr] 18/1/2007 11:24

Garth - thanks for the ITSO document - very useful introduction.

[garth] 18/1/2007 10:11

P.12 esp. might be of interest to geeks.



G.

[blueliner] 18/1/2007 10:01

Catchy write up today in Shares mag results focus as a buy.
anything helps