In the past 10 years, countries all over the world have invested over US$24 billion to launch smart ID card programs. This investment is due to increase as another 15 countries have indicated that they will replace earlier technologies with biometric-based systems. Other technology programs being implemented by governments are eGovernment systems, which help to streamline governance systems. Asia-Pacific is one of the global hotbeds in eGovernment delivery. South Korea leads not only the region, but the whole world in terms of online service delivery, according to the 2012 United Nations E-government Survey rankings. Singapore is the only other Asian country in the top 10. The study confirms a steady advance in all the indicators of the eGovernment development index across the globe, with Eastern Asia trailing only Europe in the regional level. The gains, however, are not spread evenly, as most countries in the region are still offering low levels of engagement possibilities, said the report. Professionals from bank and payment, IT and security, retail, telecom, government and transport and smart card manufacturers can come and see new ID technology and listen to a highly experienced panel of worldwide experts sharing their knowledge, at CARTES Asia two-day conference 27 & 28 March.

Besides national identity and government delivery of services, smart card technologies are steadily penetrating all aspects of modern life. Even in gambling establishments, casino tokens in Macao are now embedded with RFID chips for high-level security. In hospitals in the Philippines, the rate of hospital-acquired infections are being reduced through the implementation of RFID real-time location system (RTLS) that ensure personnel wash their hands before and after visiting patients.

The conference program on ID Management & eGovernment will present an overview of a variety of ID management initiatives, with focus on eGovernment. It will be kicked off by Kevin Gillick, Executive Director – GlobalPlatform, who will talk about “Developing a Privacy Framework for Government Markets”.

He will be followed by Anton Fischer, Director of Key Accounts, Government ID Solutions - HID Global, whose presentation is entitled “Delivering on the Promise of Advanced Government ID Credentials”. ID management's movement to the cloud is one of the top secure identity trends predicted by HID Global in 2013.

Anton Fischer, Director of Key Accounts for HID Global said, “The eID revolution is here and the stakes are high. The good news is that as an industry, we now have the advanced technologies and expertise to help governments achieve a balance of security, functionality, convenience and return on investment in a single program.”

We are delighted to be showcasing and launching our technology and solutions at Cartes Asia. We believe technology is the key to higher security and our stand will illustrate the full extent of our services by presenting the many ways we can help our customers to create, use and manage their security identity,” added Fischer.

The other distinguished speakers are Dan Butnaru, Product Line Manager – Keynectis-Opentrust, “National eID and Passport - Can Standards make the Difference”, and Corinne Murcia Giudicelli, Director Sales and Marketing - Hologram Industries, “When ease of Authentication and Resistance to Counterfeiting are uncompromised”.

Chairing the whole session is Sébastien Taveau, CTO – Validity Sensors Inc., who himself will speak about “Cloud Content, Digital ID and Real-time Global Access: Opportunity or Nightmare?”.

The companies behind the most innovative solutions in RFID, digital ID, biometrics, such as Agfa-Gevaert, Datacard Asia-Pacific, Genkey solutions, HID global, Hologram industries, NagraID security and Trueb, will exhibit at CARTES Asia.

Isabelle Alfano, Director of CARTES Events, Comexposium said: “Governments across the world are increasingly implementing and investigating smart technology to make it easier to authenticate identities of populations. Biometric smart cards and passports are quickly replacing old technologies while new smart technology is being continually being updated to prevent counterfeiting and identity theft. This is a very niche market and those interested in seeing the new and updated technology as well as hearing about new developments in this area should head to CARTES Asia this month.”

CARTES Asia is part of a network of three annual Secure Solutions exhibitions and conferences organised by Comexposium. The other two events take place in Las Vegas, North America and Paris, France. The organisers of CARTES Asia expect over 100 exhibitors to showcase their technology to over 3,000 top-tier professionals to visit the event. CARTES Asia is co-located with E-Commerce Asia.

Sources: RFID Journal 8/3/2013; United Nations E-Government Survey 2013; Emirates Identity Authority and HID Global.

Ends

Journalists can register for free at CARTES Asia and E-Commerce Asia exhibition and conference at http://www.cartes-asia.com/Newsroom/Press-Accreditation. There will be a press centre on-site featuring news from exhibitors and the winners of the Asian SESAMES Awards as well as a full up to date list of conference speakers.

About CARTES Asia & co-located E-commerce Asia
Date: 27-28 March 2013
Place: Hong Kong - AsiaWorld-Expo
Organiser: Comexposium
Web site: http://www.cartes-asia.com/
http://www.ecom-asia.com/

About Comexposium
Comexposium, organiser of both CARTES Asia and E-commerce Asia, has the expertise with leading events in Europe (CARTES, E-Commerce Paris and E-Marketing Paris), a local presence with its Shanghai subsidiary, and a 3-year experience of an Asian launch in Hong Kong with CARTES Asia (venue, logistics, visitors, congress attendees, etc.).