News

UL adds EMVCo contactless level 1 approval services

Certification allows the Fremont facility to conduct tests on behalf of card and mobile handset vendors who need level 1 type approval in order to sell their products in the U.S.

November 3, 2014

The UL laboratory in Fremont, California, now offers EMVCo contactless level 1 analog and digital testing services, which have been certified to ISO/IEC 17025 under the EMVCo certification process, a UL news release said.

Certification allows the Fremont facility to conduct tests on behalf of card and mobile handset vendors who need level 1 type approval in order to sell their products in the U.S. EMVCo L1 certification testing is accepted by all major payment brands.

Level 1 analog testing assesses all the analog aspects of the radio frequency communication between the card and the reader. Level 1 digital testing assesses the initialization, activation and transport aspects of the digital interface by which the card and the reader signal to each other and pass data over the contactless interface.

EMVCo contactless level 1 analog and digital testing are mandated by the payment brands.

"EMVCo requires all cards and handsets to meet its type approval requirements," said Sherif Samy, commercial director for North America at UL Transaction Security. "When it comes to cards, the payment brands have their own configurations which need to pass the type approval tests we run. As an accredited laboratory in the U.K., we were able to extend the services now to the U.S., which will greatly benefit card and handset vendors in preparation of migrating to EMV."