The Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China has upgraded its Bell ID software infrastructure to enable the management and issuance of its contactless resident identity Card (BIR). The system was originally implemented by Bell ID in 2002 for contact-based smart cards. The project is now live in the marketplace and is the first resident identity card project of its kind to make the switch to contactless cards.
Bell ID’s Identity Token Manager is a hardware and software independent, web-based software solution that enables issuers of chip-based identity cards, such as governments, enterprises and universities, to effectively and securely deploy and manage single and multi-application identity schemes. In addition to managing credentials on cards, the solution offers the possibility to load and manage these on mobile devices containing a near field communication (NFC) chip.
It is anticipated that the contactless BIR, which is being brought in to offer increased security, will be issued to permanent and non-permanent residents who renew their ID cards in the coming decade. 640,000 residents currently hold the contact-based BIR. Use of Bell ID’s Identity Token Manager will enable the Macao SAR Government to manage its contactless identity cards during their entire lifecycle, including enrolment, personalization, issuance, post-issuance updates and cancellation. The new platform also enables an array of new security features, including the secure storage of the cardholder’s photo and biometric data on the chip.
Isaac Ieng Kit Lai, Director, the Identification Services Bureau (DSI) of the Government of the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, comments: “The new system makes us the first public body in the world to implement this new technology to our residents and offers even more features and modern anti-falsification characteristics. The upgrade to contactless was easy to implement and delivers a cost effective, future-proof standardized solution to ensure the longevity of this project.”
In addition to advanced security, the upgraded ID card enables holders to process dealings with authorities electronically and save time.
“We are delighted to enhance our long-standing relationship with the Macao SAR Government and deploy our latest, most sophisticated system,” adds Pat Curran, Executive Chairman of Bell ID. “Having worked with the government for over 12 years, this project extension is a testament to the dedication of our team to provide the highest levels of customer support, the quality of our solutions and the ease of integration that Bell ID is able to offer as an independent solution provider.”
