Infineon Technologies says it will become the sole chip supplier for the largest contactless microcontroller transportation card in China in 2008. In the last six months, Shenzhen’s public transportation company has issued more than two million “Shenzhen Tong” microcontroller cards which incorporate Infineon’s security microcontroller.

Shenzhen is one of the fastest growing cities in the world and has the second busiest port in mainland China with a population of around twelve million. It is one of the earliest cities in China to upgrade its transportation system to use smart card technology.

“Shenzhen Tong” microcontroller cards are multi-application cards that can be used as tickets in public transportation as well as to pay for goods in stores. In the transportation sector, the metro and more than 10,000 buses have been fitted to use “Shenzhen Tong” cards. Additionally, in the micropayment sector, more than 500 supermarkets, shopping malls and convenience stores already use “Shenzhen Tong” cards for payments up to Renminbi RMB 1000 (around Euro 100).

Issuance unit volume of these microcontroller cards is expected to exceed three million by the end of 2008. By the year 2011, Shenzhen Tong Co. Ltd has planned to deploy the card fully in all metro and public transportations buses, with deployment extending also to private rental cars and retailers targeting to exceed 3,000 stores. All in all, more than eight million microcontroller cards are expected to be issued within the next three years.