Gemalto’s operating system, integrated in the Sealys electronic passports, has achieved the fastest reading capabilities in the independent interoperability tests conducted at the recent Security Document World Conference in London.
Sealys E-passport Embedded Software is the latest generation of Gemalto’s ICAO-compliant operating system. It meets the exacting standards of the Common Criteria EAL5+ augmented certification, which represents the highest known proven level of resistance to security attack available today for electronic travel documents.
Gemalto’s software was assessed in May alongside a range of e-passports from other companies, and the test demonstrated data throughput rates more than twice the industry average.
Speed is key for issuing authorities as it means increased personalisation and quality control throughput. Faster reading of electronic and biometric passports at border control points is also critical of consideration for authorities seeking to process millions of passengers’ document as quickly and efficiently as possible, without compromising security.
“With international travel continuing to grow rapidly and the total number of passengers set to double to 7-billion by 2034, faster passport reading offers higher throughput capacity and greater convenience for passengers. It also makes biometric-enabled self-service stations a more attractive option for end users, further easing the burden on border control staff,” says Youzec Kurp, vice-president: government programmes at Gemalto.
“The industry-leading performance of Sealys solutions is reflected in Gemalto providing products and services in over 30 national e-passport programmes around the world.”
“In Africa, countries such as Algeria, Ivory Coast or Morocco have already adopted e-passports and are using Gemalto technologies,” says Charles Mevaa, vice-president: government programmes for Africa at Gemalto. “The Sealys eTravel embedded software has been designed to ensure that airports around the world enjoy leading speeds for reading e-passports, resulting in swifter border crossing.
“This is especially relevant for major global hubs such as South Africa’s Oliver Tambo International airport, the busiest airport in the African continent.”
