What are the major 13.56 contactless smart card standards?

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ISO 14443 defines “proximity-coupled” contactless smart cards, which are designed for use in close proximity reads of under
ten centimeters. That short distance makes them an excellent fit for financial transactions, where large amounts of data are
transfered.

ISO 15693 covers “vicinity-coupled” contactless smart cards, which have a longer range, up to three feet (one meter). That
range makes them a good fit for applications such as access control where users prefer longer read ranges. It’s inconvenient
for users to open their car door or roll down a window just to get a smart card close enough to the reader to read.
Another difference is data speeds: ISO 15693 can transfer data over a longer distance with a throughput of 26.6 kbps which is about one-quarter the speed of ISO 14443’s rate at 106 kbps. However, access control cards usually transfer small amounts of data, so throughput isn’t necessarily a deciding or noticeable factor.

ISO Standards Defined

Each of these standards has four parts that define the contactless smart card’s features. The more parts that a smart card
solution is compatible with, the greater the ability to interface with other ISO compatible solutions.
Part 1 - Physical Characteristics: This includes the smart card’s thickness and width and has virtually no effect on
compatibility and interoperability.
Part 2 - Radio Frequency Characteristics: This encompasses the frequency and methods used to transfer data, as
well as how the card and the reader establish and maintain communications. One analogy: Just as a person knows
to turn the TV to a certain channel to get a particular program, this part of the standard means those compliant smart
cards and readers all know to use the same frequency and data format in order to exchange information.
Part 3 - Initialization and Anti-Collision Characteristics: This defines the way that a reader can pick out a
particular contactless smart card when there are multiple other ones within range. This ability is a major advantage in
applications such as transit systems, where it’s common to have several persons passing through a line of turnstiles,
all at once and all holding smart cards. Without anti-collision features, each turnstile’s reader wouldn’t be able to
ignore the other nearby cards and wouldn’t be able to lock onto the one held by person who’s try to pass through.
Part 4 - Transmission protocols: This determines how the card and reader communicate. One analogy: Two
multilingual persons agree that they’ll always use English when e-mailing each other. If a reader is compatible with
Part 4, you may be able to read and write to an ISO card if there are no additional proprietary algorithms that restrict
these routines. Many card chip manufacturers require licensing agreements for reading and writing. One example of an
open smart card that does not require a license is DESFire™ .

What is not covered by ISO 14443 and 15693 standards?

These standards do not specify how memory should be allocated in contactless smart cards. More importantly, they provide
no mechanisms for security and authentication.