Wireless Biometrics : Biometrics coming of Age

Wireless biometrics will offer biometric authentication services to wireless and Internet service providers. The technology will allow customers of wireless services and products to authenticate their identities when conducting electronic transactions.

Wireless biometrics services will become increasingly crucial as wireless use and applications grow, said Jeff Keffler, an analyst at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York. Lehman estimates that 140 million handsets will be sold next year, which will make use of wireless biometrics.

With the advent of wireless biometrics, Biometrics systems are coming of age with the combination of technologies that create new application options. The combination of fingerprint recognition and wireless communication allows new areas of biometrics integration.

As biometrics systems improve, become smaller and require less power for operation, the potential to integrate into new application grows. The ability to operate the biometrics verification solution from battery supply is unprecedented. Previously, biometrics have been used in combination with personal computers and based on a stringent platform to maintain reasonable performance.

However, as the technology for fingerprint recognition is being miniaturised and streamlined for performance, new avenues of application can be found when technologies are integrated together in small, simple and stand-alone packaging.

Wireless biometrics will cosist of both the hardware and software for the fingerprint scanning devices that will be embedded in wirelss handheld devices. The solution will come as a bundle of a range of validation, transaction management and content protection services based on the devices.