ASK, as an expert in contactless technology, is the project leader of the innovative Fast PASS project with its partners STMicroelectronics, LEAT (French Laboratory of Electronics, Antennas and Telecommunications) and ISEN (Toulon-based Engineering School). Fast PASS will bring mass transit operators ticketing contactless products with performance that have never been achieved before in terms of transaction speed, security level and ergonomics. 

Fast PASS is a 3 years project, funded by OSEO (French innovation fund), the European Fund of Regional Development (FEDER), the Toulon Provence Méditerranée community council (TPM), the Alpes-Maritimes and regional county council and it has been supported by the SCS cluster. 

As contactless technology-based systems keep increasing in public transport, banking and secure documents sectors, transport operators are willing to leverage their general offer with multi-application contactless smart cards in the future. Fast PASS brand new range will meet new anti-fraud requirements with a security level that goes beyond the current EAL4+ standard. A transaction speed below 80 ms and an average communication distance over 10 cm will increase passenger flow. 

“To date, all actors involved in contactless smart cards manufacturing, from chip suppliers to Operating Systems developers or even antenna designers had to compromise on performance to optimize 3 essential features: security level, transaction speed and distance," said Amand Cochet, Senior VP at ASK. "With Fast PASS project, we benefit from the expertise of each partner to bring to the market a truly innovative product.On the other hand, the contactless smart card complies with ISO14443 type A and B, allowing for instance a student to use public transport in type B and university access control and services in type A, with the same card.”