e-passports: Gateway to opportunity for IT firms

Mumbai: The Indian government is soon expected to invite tenders to deploy e-passports. The multi-million dollar project will initially provide e-passports to diplomats and, if successful, will be rolled out for close to 40 million passport holders across the country.
An e-passport is machine- readable, enabling quick processing at airports. The passport comes with an in-built security (biometric) features which comprise an IC (integrated circuit) chip embedded in the back cover that stores the data (including photo). These also make the passport tamper-proof. In ordinary passports, this data is typically displayed on the photo page.
With almost 500 million passports in circulation and the cost of a single e-passport ranging between $8 and $15 (Rs 330 to Rs600), it has opened up a huge market for Indian IT firms.
IT companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), NXP Semiconductors and Gemini Traze are already in the fray.
26/06/07 Shivani Shinde/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Jun 2007, New Jun 2007, Safety Jun 2007