Global smart cards; all nations

Many Links to National IDs
http://www.gartner.com/DisplayDocument?doc_cd=104678

1. EUROPE

Daimler-Chrysler; ecology' smart cars and cards with trade offs -- Oct. 6, 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_(automobile)
Halifax Bank of Scotland HBoS
"Being true to the brand’s environmental ethos, smart has agreed a partnership with the Woodland Trust, whereby new cardholders can off-set their carbon emissions for one year, simply by using their credit card. Every cardholder who activates their card generates the planting of five new trees, offsetting the 1091 kilograms of CO2 generated by a smart fortwo coupé pure during one year’s driving*.
http://www.easier.com/view/News/Motoring/Smart/article-73872.html
To us, this is a form of the harlot in Rev. 17 whereby the economic system is tied to corporations which tie themselves to the governmental common cause of environmentalism ( bordering on the religious fervor of "environmental ethos" ...
a faith that even the non-Faithed can rally behind. )
It makes one feel that they have" Faith", when in actuality they are prospering corporations.
The "rewards" infer a type of 'goodness'. "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power therof [ Triune God ] .
From such turn away " 2 Timothy 3

England implements "My ID PIV " -- Oct. 5, 2006
My ID PIV Intercede
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/10/emw446510.htm

Italy's Smart Card "CIE"
The Citizen ID card, known as "Carta d'Identita Elettronica" or "CIE," is defined under a series of laws culminating with Law # 43, passed in April last year, which provided for the replacement over time of the existing paper ID document.
http://www.hollywoodindustry.com/articles/viewarticle.jsp?id=43500
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060518/sfth106.html?.v=25

Italy -- Nov. 18, 2006
The Italian ID card carries a smart card chip from Infineon of Germany as well as LaserCard’s optical stripe, which can hold a few megabytes of memory, more than most smart card chips available today. Grant says in a report released this week that the new government that took power in Italy in May set up a commission to review the national ID project, and that there is some sentiment to drop the optical stripe. Italy has issued about 2 million of the national ID cards, known as the Carta d’Identita Elettronica, or CIE, according to a recent Card Technology survey. About 48 million citizens ultimately could receive the ID cards, Grant says
http://www.cardtechnology.com/article.html?id=20061117ST7IODKW

Germany's Infineon - Siemens - Qimonda www.qimonda.com ( ethernet ) San Jose, Calif.
Infineon used to be known as Siemens Semiconductors, an operating division of Siemens AG, the German company sometimes described as the European General Electric. The company became Infineon Technologies AG in 1999, and its stock began trading on both the Frankfurt and New York Stock Exchange in March 2000. For fiscal year 2000 (ending in September), sales rose to Euro 7.28 billion, an increase of 72 percent from Euro 4.24 billion in the previous fiscal year.
In addition to its R&D centers in the U.S., Infineon's North American headquarters is located in San Jose, Calif. The company also operates a major semiconductor manufacturing plant, or fab, in Richmond, Virginia, which specializes in production of the types of memory chips now being designed in Williston. With a global customer base that includes industry leaders like Compaq, Dell, Nokia, Nortel and dozens of others, it is a fact that innovative memory products conceived right here in Vermont are already turning up in computers and communications systems around the world.
http://www.infineon.com/cgi-bin/ifx/portal/ep/channelView.do?channelId=-65721&channelPage=/ep/channel/informationPage.jsp&pageTypeId=17224
Infineon www.infineon.com since 1999 ( formerly Siemens )
Qimonda http://www.qimonda.com/about/profile/overview.html "key to the world " beginning August 2006
DRAM Dynamic Random Access Memory
http://computing-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/dynamic+random+access+memory

Germany's smart cards .... Giesieke and Devrient
"The division’s business lines include banking smart cards as well as subscriber identity module cards for mobile phones. In January, G&D carved out its ID card and electronic passport businesses and combined them in a separate division called government solutions. The company also has a third division that produces banknotes. In 2004, G&D shipped about 57 million banking smart cards, according to CardLine Europe’s sister publication Card Technology.
http://www.cardtechnology.com/article.html?id=2006051952MBX2LE

SAGEM Orga , Germany ... recharge cards
Having associated with Orga an international company in Germany, one of the biggest company in the world which is used security, they are used to such challenges in the market
The company has plants similar to Nigeria environment like India, Brazil and Russia. Scratch card business is dominated by Nigerians with over 80 per cent penetration in West Africa and Sagem Orga is very interested in producing smart card in Nigeria. Okunoren disclosed that as soon as SAGEM Orga is satisfied with Nigerians demand, the company will be obliged to go into West Africa.

Sagem he said, does not only specialise in the manufacture of handsets, but also in the security, ID department providing technology which the FBI, America is currently using. He explained that " It is because of that kind of background, that we then merged as Sagem Orga as the world leader in the manufacturing of cards.

Okunoren disclosed that SAGEM Orga wants to diversify by going beyond the telecommunication industry. "The company is talking to some banks , smartcard (representatives of Mastercards and Visa). Though it involves more security and trust, Sagem is a world wide partner for visa and mastercard, definitely, Sagem Orga has value added services to add in the market" he told THISDAY at the GSM congress
http://allafrica.com/stories/200606290273.html

Spain deploys smart cards -- Oct. 9, 2006
The ID Card roll-out started in February 2006, the successful culmination of a three-year development and qualification program with FNMT-RCM (Fabrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre -- Royal Casa de la Moneda), Spain's national printing office. Spanish police issued around 7,000 cards as the project ramped up in the first half of 2006, in Burgos, near Madrid. Now it is available in 13 other cities, and 500,000 cards are expected to have been deployed by the end of the year, with 2 million forecast in 2007, and 6 million in 2008. Ultimately, more than 30 million Spanish citizens will benefit from the card.
ST has a complete portfolio of high-security smart card products, meeting all governmental and ID product needs in security and memory size, and offering both contact and contactless interfaces. The ST19WL34, a cost- effective device with a contact interface, is manufactured using ST's advanced and highly reliable 0.18-micron process technology and provides the ideal combination of performance, security, and reliability for the Spanish ID program. "The choice of ST's ST19WL34 device for the Spanish ID card, and meeting the program's tough technical demands, confirms our high-security MCU family's reputation as an optimum solution for long-term ID schemes,"
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/10-09-2006/0004447522&EDATE=

Europe: Eurosmart http://www.eurosmart.com/

European Biometric Centre of Excellence ( CoE Brussels, Belgium )
A new European Biometrics Centre of Excellence (CoE) was created in the heart of the Europe Union, in Brussels, Belgium. The new centre is an interactive facility, designed to showcase advanced identity management solutions to customers and illustrate potential real-life examples of biometrics technology. These range from cutting edge e-ID card and passport technology to the very advanced biometric identification techniques including 3D facial, electronic iris and finger print recognition......
One of the presented solutions is the eJustice bi-modal biometric smart card, resulting from a FP6 European research project, with the aim to secure justice information exchanges between judges and prosecutors across Europe (the European Arrest Warrant , judicial assistance). Other scenarios concern eBorder checks, Visas, electronic ID cards, multi-purpose smart cards etc.
The Centre was created at the initiative of Unisys, which is partner in several FP6 European research projects.
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/5851

European e-ID roadmap http://www.gemplus.com/press/IntheNews/articles/15022006-eurosmart.htm

UNISYS www.unisys.com

Unisys Biometric Centre ( database ) in the heart of Europe : Brussels
Unisys now has biometric showcase centres in the two leading markets that serve as key focal points for many worldwide security issues: The Brussels Centre of Excellence represents the European Union and the Reston, Virginia, Centre of Excellence, located in suburban Washington, D.C., represents North America. New technologies, solutions and functional features, developed in both centres, will be shared continuously between the two sites and added to the existing portfolio of solutions.

Other centres are due to open in other parts of the world. Unisys develops its biometrics solutions using its unique 3D Visible Enterprise (3D-VE) methodology, which helps corporate and government executives see and then act on the cause-effect relationships among business strategy, processes and IT requirements throughout the entire enterprise. That affords them unprecedented visibility into the impacts and costs that can block effective execution. The Unisys 3D-VE strategy enables organisations to see the effects of business decisions even before making them. This visibility allows better integration in all aspects of its security procedures, resulting in a coherent identity management system.
http://www.netherlandscorporatenews.com/archive/en/2006/04/26/f056.htm

Europe's i2010
We are witnessing a scenario of power accumulation. There is an implicit threat to privacy in the accumulation of vast number of personal information government databases. The threat in question is not only the possible use of this information for, e.g., intrusive profiling of individuals, but also the creation of a situation in which one actor accumulates so much power that it becomes difficult for a society to define accurate checks and balances.

The Swiss philosopher Benjamin Constant therefore reversed John Locke’s concept of trust. One should not too easily assume that the interests of governors coincide with the interests of the governed. He argues that rulers should not be expected to be competent. They have been and will be rarely above average, either morally or intellectually and often below it. Not the state, but the individual should be trusted. Constant introduced the principle of preparing for the worst into constitutional thinking.
http://www.egovmonitor.com/node/5683

Unisys : Global Authentication Standards -- May 4, 2006
Validating one's identity is something people do everyday, from logging on to computer networks, conducting online banking transactions, navigating airport security, and crossing borders, yet very little global coordination exists in identity management business practices and procedures.

"Establishing ID authentication standards can have a profound global social and economic impact, and play a significant role in helping organizations better secure their business operations," Unisys President and CEO Joseph W. McGrath said. "Moreover, standards can encourage additional security and convenience, enhanced efficiency, and reduced costs across a multitude of daily interactions among consumers, businesses and government agencies.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/05/03/1636286.htm

VIP Verified Identity Pass -- Unisys ... Airport clearance --May 1, 2006
CLEAR ; Safelink; FLO
http://www.btnmag.com/businesstravelnews/headlines/frontpage_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002424913

Unisys MSC ; Government Service data centre
e-commerce initiative
http://www.secureidnews.com/news/2006/05/05/mykad-malaysia-leverages-unisys-expertise-to-roll-out-smart-cards-to-24-million-citizens/

Dr. Reinhard Posch, Austria

2. MID - EAST

Saudi Arabia ( AMEX Blue ) -- Nov. 12, 2006 -- American Express
Amex (Saudi Arabia) Limited has launched Saudi Arabia’s first ever chip-based transparent Card with built in ID Keeper technology for secure payments. Combining the best of form and function, the new clear BLUE is a stylish card with state-of-the-art technology, making it easy, secure and efficient whether for everyday shopping, travel or online use

The ‘Express Cash’ service allows customers to withdraw cash in Saudi Riyals or US Dollars from any Saudi Investment Bank and over 500,000 ATMs worldwide.
The chip together with the ID KeeperSM stores information securely on the Card, making online shopping easy and safe. Using the optional smart card reader, IDs, passwords, addresses, online forms and payment card details can be filled in securely at the click of the mouse, in the knowledge that they are protected.
http://business.maktoob.com/bankingnew.asp?id=20061112055406

GSA adds SuperCom to supply list -- May 8, 2006
The United States’ General Services Administration has added smart card provider SuperCom to the agency’s Federal Supply Schedule, which means federal and state agencies have access to SuperCom products at a previously agreed-to price. Included in this GSA agreement are SuperCom’s Homeland Security and First Responder products
QADIMA, Israel-- SuperCom Ltd., a leading provider of smart card and electronic identification (e-ID) solutions, announced that its US Subsidiary, SuperCom, Inc, has received a United States, General Services Administration (GSA), Federal Supply Schedule Contract for its products including its Homeland Security and First responder product line. This contract award enables all federal and state agencies to buy SuperCom products from a GSA-approved price list with agreed upon terms and conditions.
http://www.contactlessnews.com/news/2006/05/08/general-services-administration-awards-information-technology-schedule-contract-to-supercom/

Arab nations: Bahrain, UAE, Oman etc. http://www.ameinfo.com/84094.html

2.5 million Oman -- Sept. 21, 2006 -- Nat'l ID e-gov plus Police management
The Sultanate of Oman's national ID card program is the first smart card-based e-government solution ever deployed in the Middle East.
As part of this objective, the creation of a National Registry System will become the pillar of all future Omani e-Government initiatives. In addition, the Sultanate of Oman is aiming to develop new technical skills within the Royal Oman Police force, the local authority managing the ID program

By becoming the earliest adopter of smart card-based national ID cards in the Gulf region, the Sultanate of Oman is standing at the forefront of the global e-Government trend. Over the past few years, there has been rapidly growing awareness amongst governments worldwide of the necessity to develop nationwide IT infrastructures in order to deliver more secure, efficient and convenient ID services to their citizens. The growing need of governments to effectively authenticate remote users, combined with the increasing concerns of traditional ID theft and fraud, has influenced technologically proactive governments in Belgium, China, Finland, Hong-Kong, Japan, Macao, Sweden, USA, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and many more to convert to smart card-based ID solutions. Through this innovative ID program, the Sultanate of Oman is now joining this group of leading IT nations.
http://www.nextnews.fr/nextnews_fiche_actualite.asp?id_com=12552&type_com=html&type_source=db&lg=gb

Financial partnership, Bahrain -- June 6, 2006 http://www.finextra.com/fullpr.asp?id=9751

Qatar: Dream Card : Loyalty and rewards-- JUNE 26, 2006
Doha Bank said unlike other loyalty programmes that are voucher or multicard-based, the Dream Rewards operate through a single
multi-functional chip card. Customers will be able to view their rewards’ points immediately on using their card for purchases at the participating outlets.
Seetharaman said Doha Bank’s existing credit cardholders would switch over to the “Dream” cards at any point of time
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=93039&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

GCC -- Gulf Cooperation Council [ Video included ]
the Arabian Peninsula consists of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Oman, and the Republic of Yemen. Together, these countries (excluding the Republic of Yemen) constitute the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Founded on 26 May 1981,
http://www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae/english/history/history_arabia.asp
http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/gcc.htm

3. ASIA

For Malaysia please see www.cybertime.net/~ajgood/ax.html

ASIA, AFRICA, the Mid-East, Australia-Pacific -- Nov. 24, 2006
MasterCard Worldwide and Keycorp Limited (ASX: KYC) has announced the availability of a
US$2.99 MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4 Combi Card, a dual-interface smart card for card issuers in
Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa (APMEA). [ Ed: Eastern half of globe ]
The MasterCard smart card program is part of the overall OneSmart™ MasterCard® strategy to provide issuers with greater technology choices, support and critical flexibility they need to launch a successful smart card program. With the support of these leading vendors, MasterCard will further accelerate the migration of payment cards to dual-interface (contact and contactless) multi-application smart cards in APMEA

Combining MasterCard credit or debit, and MasterCard Cash (implemented using MPA) stored value functions, as well as access to the Cirrus® Global ATM network, the MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4 Combi Card could serve as an all-in-one payment card. In addition, the card may also contain value added applications
[ Ed: rewards] such as the MasterCard Open Data StorageTM program (MODS), which allows for the secure storage and retrieval of personal data for loyalty, e-ticketing and more.
a unique globally interoperable system,” said Shuan Ghaidan, head of product sales and delivery

Vendors can order the MULTOS chip used for the MasterCard PayPass M/Chip 4 US$2.99 Combi Card from KeyCorp Ltd (Australia).
Compared to the end of 2005, MasterCard in the APMEA region witnessed a 470% increase in the third quarter of 2006 in the issuance of its contactless payment cards and other payment devices
https://www.theasianbanker.com/A556C5/Update.nsf/0/52CF7126E1AB83FF4825722F0017D0C2?Opendocument

They did it ! managed money out of thin air .. virtual accounts
Ed: But does it really exist ? and if so, can it be virtually wiped out in an instant ???
Malaysia : PosPay mobile Online virtual payments -- Nov. 24, 2006 http://www.pospay.com.my/main1024_768.htm
PosPay, the first ringgit-based virtual account
PosPay, managed by RMEX Payment Services, provides mobile and Internet payment services, specialising in micro-payment that allow users to pay online or via mobile phone even without a credit card or Internet banking account.
He said PosPay's vision is to become the nation's premier financial service provider
http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Saturday/Nation/BT597047.txt/Article/
and
http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news_lite.php?id=232144

India, Australia and Japan -- Nov. 17, 2006
The smart card base in India is estimated at about 70 million. This is projected to cross 400 million in the next few years, says Chirasrota Jena.
Thanks to promotions by MasterCard and Visa which introduced smart cards in the market, contact-less smart cards have become the talk of the town when it comes to payment applications. Near Field Communication (NFC) devices with embedded contactless smart card capabilities are on the way. Overall, Indian smart card usage is below that in other developed and emerging economies, but as the cost of smart cards decreases, Indian companies will increasingly invest in the technology and its solutions.

In geographical terms, Europe will remain the largest smart card market for the next five years or so, but the globalisation of the market is well underway. Smart card chips are the essential operational components of smart cards, and these also appear in cladding other than credit card-sized plastic tokens.
STMicroelectronics has traditionally been a semiconductor supplier providing chips to card manufacturers and system integrators. In the recent past ST has acquired Proton World International (PWI), a leading smart card software company that specialises in high security, payment and identification smart card systems. PWI develops smart card system software especially for e-purse; MasterCard or Visa debit and credit cards

“We are among the top three suppliers of smart card ICs in the world, and the same holds true for India as well. We are major players in GSM,
DL (driving licence), e-passport and banking applications in India. STM provides the smart card chips or modules memory and microprocessor for both contact and contactless smart cards and smart card reader ICs.”
http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20061120/market02.shtml

Indonesia --- NIS Nat'l Identity System ( .NET platform .... a GLOBAL platform )
As more Governments move toward a citizen-centric approach to public administration, national identity systems have more functions than traditional identity documents. Digital transactions are becoming commonplace, with the Government acting as the certification authority through individuals' guaranteed identities. And the requirement is to provide services round the clock, which can be achieved only by leveraging technology and
a universal access approach through an identity document. [ Ed: Global IDs ]

When this solution is applied, he explained, everyone will have a unique number consisting of private information of the inhabitant such as identity number (ID), driving license, bank account, immigration data, insurances, and so forth.
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/blog/toekangit/0,39056105,61964396,00.htm

MyKad cannot compute Christianity --May 20, 2006
http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=42147

Hong Kong ( with VIDEOS ) http://www.smartid.gov.hk/en/index.html and http://www.smartid.gov.hk/en/

Ed: This whole sequence sounds familiar
Philippines : "People's ID Card " First for Gov. employees, then the people -- Aug. 2006 ..numbered for life
"All the ingredients are now present for a garrison state -- political killings, human rights violations everywhere, the military has the upper hand, a unified ID system, no respect for the rule of law and Supreme Court decisions, the Congress and the Senate," Lawyer Neri Colmenares of the Counsels for the Defense of Liberties said.
NEDA Director General Romulo Neri said the launching of the UMID [ Unified multipurpose ID ] came after the Supreme Court last June 20 ruled with finality on the legality of Arroyo's Executive Order 420 issued April last year, which directs all government agencies to adopt a single ID system.
The identification card would help gain access to health insurance, pensions, housing loans and help those seeking work overseas. The card stores some of the owner's physical characteristics, including fingerprints, to give a definitive identification of the person presenting it.
"Isn't it better to just have one ID that you can use for all your transactions with the government instead of having a wallet bursting with so many IDs that you need?" she said
http://newsinfo.inq7.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=16869

Philippine "unified mult-purpose ID system" by end of 2006
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/zam/2006/08/14/news/national.id.pilot.testing.slated.last.quarter.of.2006.html

Smart ID Japan
http://72.14.207.104/search?q=cache:PsBsO5YQ-7QJ:www.bakercyberlawcentre.org/2003/Privacy_Conf/papers/Day1/Natsui.pdf+Smart+
ID&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=13

China : US ATMs-- Nov. 12, 2006
First Data Corporation, an electronic payment processing company, is planning to launch its first ATMs in China in the coming months in a major expansion of its services in the country.
The US firm was the first card-processing company to be licensed by the Chinese Government to provide banks and other financial institutions with card issuing and outsourcing services.
"We will launch our ATM service within the next 6 to 12 months," said Nigel Lee, president of First Data International China and North Asia.
http://english.eastday.com/eastday/englishedition/business/userobject1ai2438694.html

China smart card by China ONLY -- Sept. 1, 2006
Many companies mainly design ICs for smart cards, a third market. The government mandated a new national identity smart card for which foreign chip companies need not compete; the Chinese companies have it locked up.
http://www.reed-electronics.com/eb-mag/article/CA6365894?pubdate=9%2F1%2F2006

China 960 Million ( largest number of citizens in the world )
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/hardware/emergingtech/0,39020357,39115689,00.htm

China: millions of e-ID cards by 2006
suppliers : Kroll ; and Schlumberger ; both of New York; Thales ( France ) On Track Innovations ( Israel )
http://cryptome.org/cn-1bn-ids.htm

Smart Card Forum of China http://www.scfc.org.cn/index_e.php

Thailand : Smart Cards http://etna.mcot.net/query.php?nid=22020

Smart Cards for Rural Banking -- Oct. 5, 2006
The smart cards would channelise all kinds of government payments like pension, utility payments such as healthcare, crop insurance, life insurance, etc. This common infrastructure is expected to cut down the cost of delivery of these services.
These prepaid biometric smart cards, while serving as a national identification card, are also expected to serve as a centralised core banking system, thereby facilitating the purpose of a rural credit bureau
http://www.andhracafe.com/index.php?m=show&id=10947

India : ( Singapore IT ) June 12, 2006 ... Survey ( profile); databank; PKI smart card ( computer access)
The project comprises three components - a state-wide survey of Uttaranchal's citizens through a
1. Multipurpose Household Survey,
2. establishment of the Citizen Data Vault,
3. and the distribution of PKI-enabled smart cards to the citizens for eGovernment services access online or via public kiosks.
http://www.cxotoday.com/cxo/jsp/article.jsp?article_id=73619&cat_id=912
CrimsonLogic
"The survey, which involves the recording of statistical information such as address and number of dependents living in a single household as well as biometric data such as an individual’s photograph and fingerprints are recorded digitally before the information is uploaded onto the Citizen Data Vault."
http://www.crimsonlogic.com.sg/media/06_06_01.htm

India to assist developing nations with ITC -- Aug. 14, 2006 ... Information-Communication Technology
The Government of India is creating a Pan-African e-network for connecting 53 African countries. In a similar way, India has proposed to extend the services to Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. .....
The State may consider introduction of National ID Cards and implement the National e-governance GRID for all Government to Government, Government to Citizens, Business to Business and Business to Citizen transactions within two years time. It is essential to create special monitoring methodology for unusual and abnormal banking transactions.

Today, with the introduction of computerised banking and computerised communication systems, the world of data mining is very advanced to detect such anomalies in real time ( Ed: at time of transaction) . The judiciary must consider the creation of a fast track judicial process for settling terrorism related cases. ( Ed: notice how monetary changes categorize a person as a 'terrorist' )

"At this stage, with so much of natural and man-made disasters facing planet Earth, let me share with you a thought from
Stephen Hawking. He is considered as one of the world's leading theoretical physicists who discovered the super string theory. He asked an open question in June 2006, "How can the human race survive the next hundred years?" When he received well over 20000 mixed responses on e-mail, he admitted that he does not have an answer"
ED: For answer; see Rev. 19 and 20.
http://www.theindiancatholic.com/newsread.asp?nid=2919
In the above article the people of India are asked to take a 7 point oath. We are warned in the Gospel not to take oaths ... Matthew 5: 33--37 .

Singapore : NETS and EZ-Link
Raymond Lee, deputy director for technology direction at IDA, told ZDNet Asia that the new standard would drive other new products and services which Singapore can export to other countries in the region, and beyond. However, he noted, while the applications may be used by another country in future, Singaporeans will not be able to use their cards overseas, unless issues such as currency exchange and the sharing of security keys are resolved by operators in the respective countries.[ ed: standardization FIPS 201 ]
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,39370762,00.htm

Singapore's " e-Symphony " IBM HiPODS
http://www.sda-india.com/sda_india/psecom,id,22,site_layout,sdaindia,news,12252,p,0.html

IBM to build smart transportation for Singapore -- Oct. 4, 2006
http://www.thestreet.com/newsanalysis/techhardware/10313045.html

Pakistan --first WiMax nation in the world -- May 26, 2006
We are committed to deploying Pakistan's first nationwide network - the largest 802.16e WiMAX network in the world with over one million users - and to enabling access to a range of voice, Internet, data and value-added services via the network. This is an important milestone in realizing our vision of 'Broadband Pakistan' and eliminating the digital divide by providing coverage to areas that are currently underserved.
http://www.swbusiness.fi/portal/31/?id=10701

4. OCEANIA
Australia http://www.webwereld.nl/articles/40948/malaysias-19-million-smartcard-rollout-holds-a-lesson.html

ERG Australia http://www.erg.com/services/index.htm

Words, words and more words. Promise them anything, but let it become meaningless.....
Ed: While Australians "own" their smart card and can only give it over with consent, it remains to be seen how they can function in society without that consent. So "ownership" is made useless when applying it becomes a necessity in order to eat.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,20724801-5001028,00.html

Australian smart cards -- May 9, 2006
The smartcard is expected to cost about $1 billion, but project insiders say most spending will be in the second and third years of the four-year program.
The biggest cost is expected to be the registration process, which will require all Medicare card holders to present identity documents to Centrelink officers and have biometric photographs.
The Human Services department estimates it will take at least 15 minutes an application for each smartcard and with 17 million or more people expected to apply for a smartcard, the department is developing plans to cope with the spike in demand for staff.
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19070111%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

The government services card, to replace 17 health and welfare cards with a single card from 2008, is expected to be the largest civilian project in the Budget.
Despite the resignation at the weekend of Smartcard Technology Taskforce chief James Kelaher, Human Services Minister Joe Hockey said the project's timetable was unchanged
http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,19070097%5E15319%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html

5. AFRICA

Banks to introduce "clever " credit cards -- Jan. 19, 2007
http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20070118090359453
chip cards http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=vn20070114094554878C180564

SA Banks "intellegent" chip cards -- Jan. 22, 2007
The new cards will contain an "intelligent" microchip that, by 2010, will allow consumers to download movie and sports events tickets from the Internet, pay for public transport and make small purchases at the cost of a few cents. They will offer superior security facilities for Internet transactions.
"In the future we will enable customers to download money at an ATM into a 'wallet' contained in the chip. For example, you will be able to go to a stadium in 2010, walk up to a vending machine, put your card in, buy your ticket, walk into the stadium and be able to buy a cool drink and absolutely everything that you want. There will be virtually no charge for those pocket transactions - maybe a cent. We are trying to encourage people to make small payments using their card," Singh said.

He said the technology would be in place for the bank's 8-million customers by 2008, with credit cards being converted first, followed by cheque and debit cards.
The new cards will still have a magnetic strip as a "contingency plan" in the event of the chip failing and to ensure the cards' acceptance globally.
Data stored on the chip will include customer profiles and payment limits, and may include identity numbers and contact phone numbers.
All card-based transactions that required only a signature will now be PIN-bas

Absa Group payment systems general manager Walter Volke said: "It's a new platform and you can build all types of applications on top of the platform. "
http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=594&art_id=vn20070122010324112C419939

MidEast, North Africa http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=69740
Super Smart Card ; Mary Grace http://sev.prnewswire.com/computer-electronics/20060505/LAF00205052006-1.html
Smart Technologies : http://www.e-smarttechnologies.com/

Uganda
Modern ID cards can hold a lot of additional electronic data in chip form including facial characteristics. Why not then have a single ID card that also holds details of drivers' licences and voter registration?
http://allafrica.com/stories/200609070313.html

Nigeria first country to go EMV Cashless ?
Europay International, MasterCard International and Visa International, otherwise code named EMV.
“the world all over is moving at an alarming rate towards a cashless society. Soonest this will be the only means of doing business."
Nigeria’s Valucard perhaps may be the very first massive implementation of EMV in Nigeria before the end of 2006 [ Ed: only half a year away ] http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/features/technology/tec310052006.html

Lagos, Nigeria : Card Expo West Africa --June 8, 2006 .... Intermarc Consulting Limited,
The Cardexpo West Africa has today become so institutionalized that it is now the biggest card conference in the whole of Africa and an international reference point for card operators from Asia, Europe, America and all over the world
The event is touted to serves as a vehicle for spreading the card and e-payment technologies awareness in West Africa on an annual basis. This year’s event will run for four days in response to the demand of the people. It will be held concurrently with the exhibition as a knowledge bank on Smartcard, ATMs, Mobile payment, e-Commerce, e-Tax, Identification, Switching, EMV and related businesses
http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/features/technology/tec607062006.html

Nigeria's CARD CULTURE of new order
The Zenith EazyCard is an online debit card tied to a specified bank account which provides electronic means of withdrawing money, making purchases and checking balances.
VPay, on the other hand, is another debit card on the Visa platform that runs on the latest "Pin and Chip" technology
Zenith Bank has a vision of a time when majority of Nigerians would walk into a shop with no cash in their pockets, but with just a small card in their hands, transacting all the business they would have with cash. Thus, by introducing this array of cards into the Nigerian financial market, the bank is driven by one desire:
evolving a new [ ed: world ] order - a cashless society
http://allafrica.com/stories/200606290254.html

South Africa http://www.home-affairs.gov.za/projects.asp

Iris Corp. of Malaysia to assist Nigeria in smart cards -- May 8, 2006
Abuja - Malaysian electronic smart card manufacturer Iris Corp is in talks with the Nigerian government to supply identity cards in a deal worth up to $300mn, a report said
http://www.businessinafrica.net/news/west_africa/609056.htm

6. SOUTH AMERICA

BRAZIL -- Oct. 19, 2006
Banrisul, a state-owned bank in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, plans next year to begin rolling out a chip-based debit card carrying
a digital certificate for online banking identity verification, according to Mauricio Cuehlo, director of public key Infrastructure[ PKI ] at Brazil’s Information Technology Institute. The bank expects to issue some 2 million debit cards with the digital certificate over the next few years, says Cuehlo, who spoke this month at a conference in the United States organized by the U.S. trade group Smart Card Alliance. He says it will be the first such bank-owned smart card in Brazil with payment and online-security features. The card will use the Multos smart card operating system from U.S.-based StepNexus.
http://www.cardtechnology.com/article.html?id=20061018GLWV8GTC

Brazil
Brazil is arguably one of the most advanced countries in the Americas in the use of a public/private identity system based on public key technology. Now in its fourth year of operation, Brazil has issued 500,000 identity certificates, including 100,000 on smart cards or tokens, according to Mauricio Cuehlo, director, public key infrastructure of Brazil's Information Technology Institute. Brazilians pay $130 for the certificate and a reader, and must go to one of 1,000 Registration Authorities with appropriate documentation to prove their identity. The credentials are used for both public and private applications from voting to proving professional accreditations or licenses.
http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release_html_b1?release_id=170234

LINKS
Transnational Collaboration
http://www.news4press.com/1/MeldungDetail.asp?Mitteilungs_ID=139029

Smart Card Invasion ( MARC card too ) http://www.cryingvoice.com/Endtimes/Mark8.html

North American Smart ID : Latin America, Mexico, Canada
http://www.findbiometrics.com/viewnews.php?id=2608
http://www.supercomgroup.com/event_full.asp?info_id=507

E-Biometric http://www.findbiometrics.com/viewnews.php?id=945

50 x 15 1/2 world's population Online by 2015
AMD demonstrated that goal by providing a Personal Internet Communicator to every delegate visiting the Congress. The PICs are devices designed to provide simple, durable and reliable Internet access for people in high-growth markets. They provide basic computing needs, such as Internet access, e-mail, word processing, spreadsheet tools and video streaming in a package only 5.5 inches wide that weighs only 3 pounds. AMD hopes the delegates try out the device and spread the word about its usability and potential, he said.
In a study commissioned by Unisys Federal Systems, 67 percent of people surveyed said they were ready for biometric data to be used in the United States and 71 percent were ready for a single, multipurpose card for identity purposes, said Greg Baroni, Unisys Global Sector's president.

Biometrics include fingerprints, face recognition and iris scans as methods of more secure identification. Baroni cited technology used by 19 million people in Malaysia, in which a "smart" card is the individual's national ID card, driver's license, toll card and passport. In the country, specific biometric identifiers carry the person's medical record and personal information at all times.
http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-u-texas-area-gathering-displays-innovations-every-niche-/2006/05/04/1638645.htm

France, China ................Global Staff Consulting http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=gsfc.pk&d=t
Of True Product ID, Inc., is scheduled to be available later today on http://www.TPID.net . The video will also be available from the Company's site at http://www.suretrace.com .
Sure Trace http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=ssty.pk&d=t

Sure Trace SECURITY -- Tag and Track
The "Tag and Track" system will provide a flexible, rapidly deployable assisted-GPS/GSM location-based service including an innovative integrated RFID technology that enables a wide array of customizable applications. The technology locates and/or tracks vehicles, objects, assets or people. Our customers will deploy a portable receiver or reader devices network, whether inside or outside a building, which will be used to pick up the signal transmitted by our "Tag and Track" Tracker with its integrated RFID Tag. The device is about the size of a cell phone. This system was originally conceived/developed on a Special Police Forces request from the French Ministry of the Interior. RFID chips don't have their own energy source; they are passive. They emit a signal when specific frequencies of radio energy are used to "paint" them. RFIDs contain tiny antennas that receive the RF energy and then re-radiate their encoded information. The Company's RFID chip will be a miniaturized, implantable radio frequency identification device that has the potential to be used in a variety of security, financial, and other applications. It is smaller than a grain of rice; the encoded information is captured by briefly passing a proprietary scanner or passing through any receivers.

Sure Trace BREATH --SIM TRACE V4X ACCEL
This device is able to detect and analyze 3-D movements with our new 3-axes ( X, Y, Z ) -integrated accelerometer. Through the device, we can detect, for example, the existence of a person's bodily movement and breathing rate. Limited or no movement or breathing can automatically cause the device to send appropriate data to the control center equipped with devices such as a laptop computer, server, cell phone or PDA. Type of data to be collected and transmitted may include the following: acceleration, shock intensity, map localization, GPS/GSM/goniometric, temperature, heart rate, etc. The next version will integrate a miniaturized camera.

Sure Trace HEART--eGeocardio
eGeocardio allows scientists to track the heart rate of people or animals. The integrated cardiometry is displayed with graphics and alerts on computers. eGeocardio first appeared at the Tour de France 2004 to monitor the cyclists. It was utilized by teams, trainers and television broadcasters to monitor the cyclists' performances. Our next version of eGeocardio, which has been advanced to the prototype stage, will include a GSM/GPRS/GPS module which will allow managers and fans to follow the progress of people or animals in real time including location, speed, and altitude. Over the coming weeks and months, Globe Staff will detail additional applications and developments of its groundbreaking technology in cardio-monitoring as well as in elder care, child safety, and law enforcement
http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060623/phf012.html?.v=55