Smart Bits: Gemplus Gets Contract For Student ID System

Gemplus Corp. said its extensive work with the Cybermark smart card venture has led to a contract with the University of Toronto.

The North American arm of Gemplus Group of France is to produce 60,000 microprocessor cards for the on-campus student identification and payment system. Gemplus said it has supplied more than 1 million cards for such closed systems, which are generally confined to college or corporate campuses, government offices, and stadiums.

Cybermark, the system supplier owned by Huntington Bancshares Inc., Battelle Memorial Institute, and the Student Loan Marketing Association, also serves Florida State University, Villanova University, Kansas State University, and Ohio Dominican College, among others.

All are also Gemplus card clients.

"Closed systems are a microcosm of the anticipated widespread use of smart card technology in society at large," said Charles Cagliostro, Gemplus' director of emerging markets. "These systems give Gemplus the ability to plan products that have the hooks necessary for open-system, multiapplication cards."

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