Norwegian BBS Selects Proton Prisma Software Platform for Smart Cards

BBS is owned by and acts on behalf of the Norwegian banks -- Den norske Bank, Sparebanken 1 Gruppen, Gjensidige NOR Sparebank and Terra Gruppen. Under the terms of the agreement, BBS will become a licensee for Norway for Proton Prisma. The agreement marks a significant step by the Norwegian banks in their migration to smart cards, and to EMV in particular. The cards that will be used in the first phase will be the Proton Prisma BP (basic profile), on which the Visa or MasterCard EMV application will co-exist with the Norwegian domestic debit Bank-Axept. Other applications are expected to be added in the future, such as the existing Norwegian Proton-based e-purse Smapengekort and the BankID application. The Norwegian banks have appointed BBS -- which for many years has been successful in providing national card payment systems and EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer Point Of Sale) solutions to the banks. BBS will coordinate the development and launch of new payment solutions as an integral part of its strategy to migrate to smart cards. The cooperation between the banks and BBS has led to a common reliance on Proton Prisma technology. Key to their decision making process were the well recognized flexibility and openness offered by the Proton Prisma platform, in addition to STs EMV PLUS application. Also, the platform met the banks long term vision, as Proton Prisma enables the optimization of the total cost of ownership for the entire system. BBS will be running the multi-issuing Proton Prisma smart card management system Matrix for the various Norwegian banks, allowing each of them to offer differentiated services to their clients. The banks, together with BBS, are planning to launch the pilot in Q2 2004 to be prepared for roll-out in Q4 2004. The present debit or credit magstripe cards will, as from then, be replaced by Proton Prisma cards in line with their natural renewing cycle. It is targeted that all cards should be replaced by the end of 2006.