ASSA ABLOY deploys mobile keys platform

ASSA ABLOY introduced the ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Platform, a scalable secure delivery infrastructure for distribution and management of mobile keys. The platform allows credentials to be distributed securely through NFC (Near Field Communication) enabled mobile phones, as an alternative to mechanical keys and physical access cards.

Using the platform, security managers can manage credentials from a central access control system and easily issue mobile keys to mobile phones with NFC technology. The credentials are stored in a tamper-resistant memory space in the phone, called a secure element. Credentials can be revoked if the phone is lost or stolen, and new keys can then be re-issued to a temporary phone.

Several contactless services, such as payments, ticketing and loyalty, have already been integrated into mobile phones. The same development is now happening with keys. “It will soon be possible to unlock and lock doors using mobile phones in hotels, commercial buildings and private homes,” said Daniel Berg, vice president and general manager of ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys.

Instead of using a printer to encode a card or assigning a pre-encoded card to a user, a virtual key is delivered to and stored on an NFC-enabled mobile phone. The mobile key allows the user to open a lock with his/her mobile phone. The ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys Platform ensures end-to-end security and is applicable for residential, commercial and hotel applications.

”ASSA ABLOY delivers tens of millions of access cards every year. We believe the use of virtual access credentials will increase in the coming years. They offer not only higher security but also the simple convenience that users have come to expect as an increasing number of services become available through mobile phones. This demand will make mobile keys an area of strategic importance to us,” said Berg.