BT pilots smartcard scheme

BT is to begin testing smartcard technology, which it claims will ultimately allow people to use electronic signatures to access and identify themselves on global networks.

The technology will be based for the first time on the Multos operating system, which is currently competing against other standards including a Visa-backed Javacard and Microsoft's own Windows-based products version, which was launched this week.

A spokesman for BT's Smart Card Business Development Group, stressed that the telco's decision to go with Multos doesn't indicate a rejection of Javacard or any other standards in the market.

He said BT is using Multos this time because it considered the technology to be more advanced than Javacard at the moment. "Multos is more mature, but we're not ruling out Javacard for future developments of this kind because we can't ignore the fact that many organisations have adopted it," he said.

The technology will be trialled at Futurelab - a smartcard testing facility run by UK-based ecommerce consultancy, Consult Hyperion.

BT said the trials will be used to demonstrate to potential customers BT's growing ecommerce expertise, but said results will not be available until late next year.