Press Release

WLAN Smart Card Consortium To Specify Secure Wireless LAN Mobility Management

WLAN Smart Card Consortium Holds Founders Plenary Meeting February 4-5, 2003 in Paris

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 19 2003 - A major new initiative to define specifications for world-wide access to wireless LAN networks with smart card security and related capabilities has been launched with the creation of the WLAN Smart Card Consortium.

One major challenge that has hampered Wireless Internet growth to date is secure mobility management. This challenge can be resolved using smart card properties. Indeed, smart cards can provide functions for world-wide wireless security, quality of service, roaming, and related services.

To reach this goal, the WLAN Smart Card Consortium endorses existing standards and defines new specifications where needed to provide world-wide access to wireless LAN networks with smart card security, privacy, roaming, convenience, and related capabilities.

Nineteen companies and institutions have joined the consortium as Founding Members, including major infrastructure providers, card and chip manufacturers, start-ups, and academic institutions.

"The WLAN Smart Card Consortium is off to a very strong start. The world-wide potential of WLAN can be unleashed by using smart cards for security, roaming, and a full set of personalized services," says Bertrand du Castel, Pro Tempore President of the consortium.

"Keeping in mind that technology should be affordable, easy-to-use and scalable, the potential of the smart card to provide security, authentication, inter-network operability and additional end-user functionality to wireless LANs is unlimited", noted Tony Fascenda, CEO, KoolSpan. "KoolSpan looks forward to contributing to the success of the Consortium and is honored to be a founding member."

At its first plenary meeting of February 4-5 in Paris, Business and Technical Committees have defined their roadmap, and the Founders' Council has defined the first steps of governance principles for the permanent organization. Liaison contacts have been established for 3GPP, IEEE, the Wi-Fi Alliance, and smart card organizations such as the Java Card Forum.

The WLAN Smart Card consortium is open to new members. The next Plenary Meeting will be April 8-10 in Austin, Texas, hosted by RAAK Technologies. For more information on how to become a member of the WLAN Smart Card Consortium, visit WLANSmartCard.org or contact:
Bertrand du Castel (Pro Tempore President, ducastel@slb.com)

About KoolSpan

Taking 802.11 to the Edge

KoolSpan has developed a secure, easy-to-use, scalable solution for 802.11 wireless local area networks. KoolSpan takes a unique approach to integrating the Smart Card into the wireless network by eliminating the need for authentication servers, network appliances or user settings. KoolSpan's bi-directional Layer 2 encryption solution is fully automatic and works independently of the 802.11 technology, allowing it to interface with all versions of 802.11 while providing ease of use when moving among home, office and public hotspot-enabled networks. The KoolSpan solution is scalable from the home network to the largest public hotspot networks. KoolSpan provides value-added application-specific functionality including Location-Based Services as well as additional solutions under development. To learn more about KoolSpan, please visit www.KoolSpan.com.

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