Gemalto (News - Alert), a specialist in digital security solutions, empowered SEB Latvia with Optelio payment cards to deliver contactless transport facility for schoolchildren and seniors in the city of Jelgava, Latvia.
Ieva Tetere, member of the board for SEB Latvia said, “Gemalto was the only provider able to offer a proven, EMV-compliant solution that met the stringent requirements of the city and county government.”
SEB Latvia will be issuing the cards on behalf of the Jelgava county government. It is expected that the card will hasten the process of boarding in buses and also enable cash-free travel on local buses.
The multi-application card features contactless payment capabilities which will be available for all residents in Jelgava making it the first contactless payment card to be deployed in the whole of Latvia and the Baltic States.
Gemalto’s Optelio complies with the EMV standard which allows the addition of more new applications seamlessly when required. Students can use the card to pay at school canteens, vending machines and in other city facilities which are equipped with standard, contactless EMV point-of-sales terminals.
Credit can be added to the cards via the SEB prepaid account at bank branches or online and parents can also set limits on daily expenditure.
This project proves that Gemalto can deploy EMV-compliant contactless schemes rapidly and efficiently. The success of this solution will open opportunities to extend the program to Jelgava’s residents in facilitating their access to public facilities.
Jean-Paul Ternisien, senior vice president of secure transactions at Gemalto, said, “By putting innovative contactless technology in the hands of digital natives, SEB has a fantastic opportunity to acquire new customers and establish the principle of paying for goods and services with nothing more than a tap of a card.”
This same scheme can be copied and developed further according to needs in any other city. It also offers a basis for migration to a mobile phone based system in the future, noted Ternisien.
Recently Gemalto added a new module based on the Qualcomm Technologies’ QSC 6270-Turbo chipset to its Cinterion (News - Alert) portfolio of cellular modules and devices.
Edited by Ryan Sartor