Smart Bits: Visa Plans to Take PartIn Singapore SET Trial

Visa International said it is teaming up with scientists at the National University of Singapore for what could be the first use of the Secure Electronic Transactions protocol over open broadband networks.

The project, part of a national effort to include electronic-commerce capability in a multimedia communications system, is expected to involve transactions originated at kiosks established by a merchant, Goldtron Interactive.

Goldtron will link its information and entertainment kiosks to the government-supported Singapore One network and its Singapore Enterprise Security Architecture, or SESA. SESA by late this year is scheduled to be compliant with the MasterCard-Visa SET protocol, assuring secure credit card and other "electronic wallet" transactions.

The SESA wallet will also support smart cards adhering to the banking industry's Europay-MasterCard-Visa standards. The cards can be used in any computer with a card reader, making security and authentication portable.

James Murray, Visa executive vice president and general manager for Southeast Asia, said the SESA project, one of the association's four electronic commerce trials in the Asia-Pacific region, "is set to break new technological boundaries."

Singaporean officials said they hope to market SESA internationally.

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