India's first SCOSTA Compliant card from Gemplus carries EximSoft's operating system

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[MONDAY, DECEMBER 08, 2003 12:00:03 AM]SINGAPORE: Gemplus, a leading provider of smart-card solutions, has emerged as the first multinational smart-card manufacturer to meet standards set by the Union government for a new card-based driving license and vehicle registration system to be rolled out across the country.

The new standard - Smart Card Operating System for Transport Applications (SCOSTA) -specified by the government last year makes it mandatory for all state governments across the country to adhere to its norms.

"The smart-cart industry is showing strong signs of growth. In this, we are looking at India as a key market in the coming years", Mr Chou Fang Soong, managing director, south-east Asia, Gemplus Technologies Asia, told ET.

With a 34% share of the 1.9-billion strong global market, Gemplus is a leading provider of cards and solutions for the financial services, telecom, transport, retail and e-security industries.

The SCOSTA system is poised to be among the world's largest smart-card based driving license and vehicle registration card rollout. In turn, the French multinational is eyeing a lucrative 100-million strong smart-card market estimated to develop over the next few years.

"And although primarily used as a driving license, it has the capacity for multiple secure ID applications such as national identity and healthcare information processes" Mr Soong added.

Gemplus' optimism is not without reason. For example, in keeping with it's IT links, Karnataka has become the first state to take concrete steps in this direction, with smart-card based ID for state government employees.

The other state that has grabbed the initiative is Andhra Pradesh, where the entire fleet management of buses of AP State Road Transport is being brought under a smart-card system.