Gemalto Announces Delivery of One Million Electronic Student Cards in Poland

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, today announces it has delivered one million electronic student cards that act as an identity credential in Polish universities. The company provided the cards to OPTeam, a local Gemalto Value Added Reseller (VAR), who supplied the personalization solution for universities to issue cards directly to students. Large-scale deployment started in the fall of 2007 and to date, 100 universities and high schools are issuing the e-student card. Another 300 universities are expected to join in the program.

The campus card verifies students’ identity and grants them access to university premises including libraries, dormitories and sport facilities. It is also used as an e-ticket for public transportation in major Polish cities, as well as a means to pay for parking spaces in the city center. Bearers of the card are entitled to the student discount wherever it is offered.

Additional features are being implemented progressively, such as the e-purse functionality which allows students to pay with their card at the cafeteria or at the library’s photocopy machine. In some universities, the campus card is featured with digital signature to enable students to electronically sign documents, sparing them the hassle to go to a university office and handle paperwork. With the authentication capability, students gain access to specific documents on the university’s computers and to the information kiosk, which provides details on the courses held.

"We selected Gemalto for its extensive experience in the very diverse applications of digital security," commented Andrzej Pelczar, Vice President of OPTeam. "Modernizing the IT infrastructure in Polish universities is a long-term program and Gemalto has proven an extremely valuable partner to us since day one of this project."

"Gemalto is proud to take part in this unique national rollout of multi-application e-student cards, alongside its partner OPTeam," added Jacques Seneca, EVP Security Business Unit at Gemalto. "This card makes life easier both for students and university personnel, as it replaces paper documents and streamlines administrative services. The project is a nice illustration of our strategy to bring increased freedom, convenience and security in people’s everyday life."