Real DigiCash !

[geoffw@nexsys.net (Geoff White)]

MONDEX SPECIFICATIONS FOR ELECTRONIC CASH PAYMENT RELEASED

Nationl Westminster Bank today (26th April) announced that it is rele 
asing the first of its product development specifications for Mondex,
 the electronic cash payment service which it will launch in the UK n
ext year in a joint venture with Midland Bank and BT.

These specifications will enable manufacturers to begin the developme 
nt of Mondex-compatible products such as point-of-sale terminal equip 
ment for retailers and bank cash machines as well as opening up compe 
tition for the production of other Mondex devices such as the Mondex 
electronic wallet and the Mondex personal balance reader. The specifi 
cations take account of existing ISO standards for Integrated Circuit
 (IC) cards and other emerging IC card standards.

Tim Jones, Chief Executive of Mondex, said: "Production of Mondex dev 
ices was neccessarily limited to a number of specialist suppliers to 
provide the basis of next year's large scale launch in Swindon. Howev 
er, Mondex has been designed as a global product and we are now in a 
position to provide interested manufacturers around the world with th 
e specifications they need to begin development of their own new prod 
ucts or to adapt their existing ranges to be Mondex compatible.

"Mondex offers manufacturers an exciting opportunity to develop and m 
arket new product ranges that add value to the simple Mondex proposit 
ion -- the storage and transfer of electronic cash" he added.

Devices for the Mondex launch in the UK are being developed by:

* AT&T Global Information Solutions (formerly known as NCR) -- cash m 
achines

* BT -- residential telephones and payphones

* Dai Nippon Printing Co. Ltd. / SPOM Japan Co. Ltd. -- cards

* De La Rue Fortronic -- retailer terminals

* Hitachi Ltd. -- integrated circuits

* Oki Electric Industry Company Ltd. -- electronic wallets

* Panasonic (Matsushita Electric/Matsushita Battery) -- electronic wa 
llets and personal balance readers

* Texas Instruments Ltd. -- personal balance readers.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. Mondex is an open, unaccounted electronic purse initiative which h 
as been developed by National Westminster Bank. Mondex is being launc 
hed in the UK by a joint venture of NatWest and Midland working with 
BT.

2. The first specifications available are:

* IFD-Purse Application Interface Specification. (IFD stands for Inte 
rface Device.) This core product development specification defines th 
e commands to which a card will respond and refers to the relevant in 
ternational standards covering general communications to an from smar 
t cards.

* Introduction to Mondex Purse Operation. This is a companion documen 
t to the above specification. It provides an overview of the Mondex c 
ard and its interface with a Mondex device.

* The Mondex Brand Manual. This document defines the permissible impl 
ementations of the Mondex brand.

3. Other specifications will cover the communications between two int 
erface devices, the user-interface standards designed to ensure user- 
friendly product design and the card specification.

4. Manufacturers interested in Mondex specifications should contact t 
he Mondex Information Centre, National Westminister Bank plc, 1st Flo 
or Podium, Drapers Gardens, 12 Throgmorton Avenue, London EC2N 2DL (f 
ax 071 920 1562).

Further enquiries to David Morton, PR Department, NatWest Bank, UK Br 
anch Business, 41 Lothbury, London EC2P 2BP (tel 071 726 1782, fax 07 
1 726 1530).