CTC: A chip that speaks many languages

At the start of June, LEGIC Identsystems AG announced the launch of its first cross-standard transponder chip – CTC for short. The CTC4096-MP410 supports the prime RF standard of LEGIC as well as of LEGIC advant (ISO 14443A) and brings new possibilities for card manufacturers and end users. At the end of the financial year, LEGIC Identsystems AG was able to announce the launch of the first family of multi-RF transponder chips. CTC are innovative in that they are both LEGIC advant and prime transponders at the same time. The CTC4096-MP410 has a 4kb memory; 3kb for the LEGIC advant memory and 1kb for the LEGIC prime memory. A LEGIC prime reader can access the latter without additional tools. A LEGIC advant reader can access both the LEGIC advant memory as well as the prime memory.
For manufacturers of storage media, the CTC generation signifies simplified card design: until now, communication in different RF standards required two chips each with an antenna; now only one chip with antenna is required, thus saving on costs. The CTC4096-MP410 has already been thoroughly tested and is on the way to being put into practical application. For one major customer, several hundred thousands of pieces had already been produced at the time of the launch. Successful market penetration is therefore not an issue.