Smart Cards Taking North America By Storm

S mart card use in the U.S. and Canada increased by 79% from the first half of 2001 to the second half, according to a report issued by the Smart Card Alliance at its February 2002 conference.

The report, titled "United States and Canada Smart Card Shipment Survey," is the first official baseline for North American smart card shipments and shows the growing usage of smart cards.

"Through this report, we have provided the smart card industry with an accurate picture of the growth in smart card implementation," said Donna Farmer, Smart Card Alliance CEO. "These results show the growing adoption of smart cards in a variety of industries."

The study surveyed all major smart card manufacturers and collected results in nine vertical markets, including government, wireless/telephony, transit and parking, and financial and retail in the U.S. and Canada from 2000 to 2001.

The U.S. Federal Government used smart cards more often than any other entity, with more than a 1,000% growth rate. The retail segment showed a growth rate of 377%. There were 41.3 million smart cards manufactured for various uses in North America in 2001, up from 28.4 million in 2000, an increase of 45%. Shipments of smart cards in the first half of 2001 totaled 14.8 million; by year's end that number had reached 26.5 million, an increase of 79%.

Paul Beverly, Vice President, SchlumbergerSema Smart Cards and eTransactions, said, "The survey results clearly show the increased level of card issuance and adoption and highlight the importance of implementing smart card programs at this time. The predicted hockey stick growth of smart cards is occurring."

The Smart Card Alliance is a non-profit association working to accelerate the widespread adoption of multiple applications for smart card technology.