Gemalto claims world’s first with changes to Omani electronic ID cards

Details: Category: Consumer Ecosystems; 30 October 2009; 8171 views

Omani citizens have been activating Gemalto’s ePurse application in their current e-ID cards. Many government-oriented functions can be carried out in what Gemalto is claiming to be a world first...

Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announced that Omani citizens have started activating Gemalto’s ePurse application from within their e-ID cards. By enabling activation of this application on cards after deployment, Gemalto has achieved what it is claiming as a world first - the ability to offer new e-services to Omani citizens simply by using their current e-ID.

As prime contractor, Gemalto supplied BankMuscat and Royal Oman Police with Coesys ePurse, its turnkey solution that includes the ePurse in the card, the post-issuance solution to activate the application, and the centralised system to manage the transactions. Gemalto also provided consulting services and project management as well as support and maintenance. BankMuscat, which acts as an issuer of the ePurse, initiated and implemented the project. Looking forward, the Information Technology Authority will host the ePurse system in-house and expand the application to all the banks in Oman.

With the Gemalto solution, Omani citizens and residents benefit from the convenience of ePurse without the need to renew their e-ID card. For the Omani government, this flexible solution represents significant savings. Users can use the ePurse to perform transactions to pay for administrative fees, notably for birth and marriage certificates, car registration, driving licence and visa application. They can also reload their mobile phone prepaid subscription and make purchases in a number of large supermarkets. In the future, the ePurse application will enable payment of public car parks and toll gates.

“Oman is a forerunner in implementing an ePurse on e-ID cards and Gemalto is proud to support this programme launch,” commented Jacques Seneca, Executive Vice-President of the Security Business Unit for Gemalto. “This project demonstrates Gemalto’s ability to leverage its installed base of intelligent identity documents to enable new services for the benefit of its clients and their partners. Some of these cards have been in the field since 2005 and will still benefit from the upgrade: this breakthrough opens up a realm of new e-services to citizens and illustrates Gemalto’s strategy.”

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