August 15, 2013 – by Peter B. Counter
It used to take 47 days for South African identification documents, barcoded paper ID books, to be produced and delivered, and they were simple, forge-able and insecure. Now, with Datacard Group announcing today that its Datacard MX series card issuance and delivery systems will be utilized by the country’s Government Printing Works in order to roll out new smart IDs for South African Citizens, the entire process will only take ten days.
Citizens will be able to trade in their old IDs for a smart card, which features biometric information and a dual interface chip, by visiting one of 27 locations throughout South Africa, with more sites opening in order to serve the populace with highly secure documents. Over the next several years it is expected that over 30 million smart ID cards will be issued. The solution was implemented after collaboration with Altech Card Solutions in order to meet the criteria set out by the South African government, which include demands for enhanced security features.
“Transitioning to a card-based system is measurably more secure than the previous paper-based ID documents and offers citizens of South Africa much more functionality and durability,” said Jim Runice, Datacard Group’s EMEA regional vice president. But the benefits offered by smart ID card solutions go beyond security and longevity. The new biometric documents are versatile, able to grant access to other government services, including electronic health records.
The news further corroborates a recent Samsung study, identifying the African region as a frontier market on the rise, ripe for a biometrics boom.
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