Smart cards, both contact and contactless, have become standard technologies for applications such as identification, access control, loyalty programs, transportation and banking.

Cards are becoming more technically advanced and a single card now supports multiple applications. For instance, a single student ID card can serve not only as a visual ID, but also for applications such as meal program cards, access cards for controlled entry areas, library checkouts or student attendance tracking.

Over the past few years, the average price of card printers has been going down and at the same times, customers’ needs are more sophisticated as they are now aware of what a card printer is and are therefore demanding more than basic visual IDs. 

MTN Irancell, one of Iran’s mobile operators, has teamed up with Etick Pars Intelligent Technologies and Bank Pasargad to develop a mobile wallet solution for the Iranian Market.

According to Telecompaper, Etick and Irancell plan to test a system that will enable customers to make contactless mobile purchases from a prepaid account that can be reloaded through bank transfers or cash deposits at contactless point of sale terminal. 

Sprint Nextel has announced that it will make NFC a standard feature on Long Term Evolution (LTE) smart phones, reports Light Reading Mobile.

Sprint, a launch partner of Google Wallet, told LR Mobile that they will include NFC chips in all LTE smart phones, excluding free phones and low end models, in order to “aggressively promote contactless technology.” 

Salt Lake City-based Cirque demonstrated a prototype of its NFC-enabled GlidePoint computer track pad at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, according to Engadget.

The GlidePoint NFC track pad, which can be built directly into a laptop or attached as a separate unit via USB port, features a built-in NFC antenna that can receive data from mobile devices, NFC-enabled tags or business cards, and other NFC devices with a simple tap. 

la Caixa and Visa Europe have begun rolling out their contactless payment system in Barcelona. The bank is set to make all cards and point-of-sale across Barcelona contactless, requiring the distribution of 1 million cards and more than 15,000 new POS terminals.

The first cards are expected to go into circulation as early as January, together with the new contactless POS and ATMs. The aim is to have at least one contactless ATM at every Barcelona branch before the end of 2012. 

Broadcom announced the release of a new chip that will enable handset makers to offer smart phones with 3G, GPS and NFC for only $100.

In addition to Broadcom’s “InConcert connectivity suite,” the BCM21552G baseband features a 1 GHz ARM11 processor, support for an 8 megapixel camera and WVGA screen support, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi 802.11n, FM radio and native support for dual SIM. 

Apriva, a provider of secure information and wireless transaction solutions, announced that its Apriva Wallet mobile commerce platform is now available to through the company’s nationwide network of merchants.

Apriva Wallet can be used for a number of services on iPhone and Android handsets, including transactions at the point of sale, free loyalty programs for customers and merchants, coupons, ticket purchase and secure storage of driver licenses, ID cards, health care information, passports, and other cards that a consumer would normally carry in a physical wallet.