Calypso (RFID)
Encyclopedia
Calypso is an international electronic ticket
ing standard for microprocessor contactless
smartcards, originally designed by a group of European transit operators from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal. It ensures multi-sources of compatible products, and makes possible the interoperability between several transport operators in the same area.
In the same time, the international standard ISO/IEC 14443 for contactless
smartcards was being designed, and the actors of Calypso strongly lobbied to have their technology included in the standard, but Innovatron's patents -and the price of the related royalties- where not compliant with ISO's policy. Therefore, Calypso's historical contactless
protocol is close to ISO/IEC 14443 Type B, with a few significant differences.
The European standard for ticketing data (EN1545) has also been contributed by the actors of Calypso.
After a few years of trials, the system has been generalised in the early 2000's in major European cities such as Lisbon, Paris, Venice, later followed by Milan, Porto, Marseille, Lyon, Turin, and many smaller cities. Calypso is extended now in other countries such as Belgium, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, etc.
A Calypso card, whatever its form (card, watch, mobile phone or other NFC
object...) has a microprocessor
which contains all the information related to its owner rights for the application, and which implements the Calypso authentication scheme for security. This makes a difference with other e-ticketing system, such as London's Oyster card
, where the card is only a memory chip with no processing capabilities.
Electronic ticket
An electronic ticket is a digital ticket. It may be issued by an airline, in road, urban or rail public transport, and in entertainment.-Airline ticket:...
ing standard for microprocessor contactless
Contactless
Contactless may refer to:* Contactless smart card* Proximity card, a contactless integrated circuit device used for security access or payment systems* Contactless payment, systems which use RFID for making secure payments...
smartcards, originally designed by a group of European transit operators from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal. It ensures multi-sources of compatible products, and makes possible the interoperability between several transport operators in the same area.
History
Calypso was born in 1993 from a partnership between the Paris transit operator RATP and Innovatron, a company owned by the French smartcard inventor, Roland Moreno. The key features of the scheme were patented by Innovatron. Most European transit operators from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal eventually joined the group in the following years. The first use of the technology was in 1996.In the same time, the international standard ISO/IEC 14443 for contactless
Contactless
Contactless may refer to:* Contactless smart card* Proximity card, a contactless integrated circuit device used for security access or payment systems* Contactless payment, systems which use RFID for making secure payments...
smartcards was being designed, and the actors of Calypso strongly lobbied to have their technology included in the standard, but Innovatron's patents -and the price of the related royalties- where not compliant with ISO's policy. Therefore, Calypso's historical contactless
Contactless
Contactless may refer to:* Contactless smart card* Proximity card, a contactless integrated circuit device used for security access or payment systems* Contactless payment, systems which use RFID for making secure payments...
protocol is close to ISO/IEC 14443 Type B, with a few significant differences.
The European standard for ticketing data (EN1545) has also been contributed by the actors of Calypso.
After a few years of trials, the system has been generalised in the early 2000's in major European cities such as Lisbon, Paris, Venice, later followed by Milan, Porto, Marseille, Lyon, Turin, and many smaller cities. Calypso is extended now in other countries such as Belgium, Israel, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, etc.
Technical aspects
Calypso is based on two main technologies:- The microprocessor smartcard, widely used in many monetary transactions;
- The contactlessContactlessContactless may refer to:* Contactless smart card* Proximity card, a contactless integrated circuit device used for security access or payment systems* Contactless payment, systems which use RFID for making secure payments...
interface (improperly called RFID) ensuring both remote powering and communication between the reader and the card.
A Calypso card, whatever its form (card, watch, mobile phone or other NFC
Near Field Communication
Near field communication, or NFC, allows for simplified transactions, data exchange, and wireless connections between two devices in proximity to each other, usually by no more than a few centimeters. It is expected to become a widely used system for making payments by smartphone in the United States...
object...) has a microprocessor
Microprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
which contains all the information related to its owner rights for the application, and which implements the Calypso authentication scheme for security. This makes a difference with other e-ticketing system, such as London's Oyster card
Oyster card
The Oyster card is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the Greater London area of the United Kingdom. It is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London including London Underground, buses, the Docklands...
, where the card is only a memory chip with no processing capabilities.