HID Global, which offers solutions for the delivery of secure identity, and INSIDE Contactless, which provides advanced, open-standard contactless chip technologies, have extended their long standing partnership to bring iCLASS access control and identity credentials to near-field communications (NFC) mobile phones. The iCLASS virtual credentials for NFC mobile phones will be securely delivered via HID Globals Trusted Identity Platform secure delivery system.
The companies says that embedding iCLASS virtual credentials into NFC mobile phones will enable the potential substitution of numerous plastic cards for a variety of commercial and consumer identity applications, including physical access control,; secure PC log on; time and attendance monitoring; equipment and material checkout; authorized access to office equipment and manufacturing machinery; private label retail payments; prepaid transit passes; and customer loyalty and membership programs.
“The ability to support iCLASS virtual credentials within a mobile phone opens the door to a new universe of exciting applications, and this unprecedented capability will be available with the microread(r) NFC controller from INSIDE Contactless,” says Charles Walton, executive vice president of payments for INSIDE Contactless. “iCLASS has become a universal identity credential with many applications beyond physical access control, and microreads unique iCLASS capabilities are a powerful differentiator, which we will be able to offer to our mobile handset customers.” 
Walton says that INSIDE is in the process of updating its microread NFC controller to implement the command set and protocol that will allow it to communicate with HID iCLASS readers, and that iCLASS support will be a feature of all the companys future NFC products. Any mobile phone using INSIDEs iCLASS-enabled microread NFC controller with an associated secure element will be able to support the use of iCLASS virtual credentials. The iCLASS virtual credentials themselves, as well as the credential management and crypto functions, can be activated and provisioned by HID Global, and will reside in a secure element.
