The telco-based Global Chipcard Alliance, a body set up to monitor existing standards, not develop new ones, admits it knew nothing of the Mondex International Ltd-led MAOSCO Ltd consortium till it launched the Multos operating system for smart cards last week (CI No 3162). This however didn’t stop GCA from using the P-word – for proprietary – once it learned of Mondex’s involvement, even though it has no chip vendors and only one card issuer to speak of, and could only name three that aren’t telecom firms – Oracle Corp, Siemens AG and American Express Co.
