Government ID, Smart Cards, Identification and Authentication

Omani citizens gain e-purse benefits with smart ID card

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Omani citizens have started activating the e-purse application in their electronic ID cards which enables them to pay for administrative fees, such as birth and marriage certificates, car registration, driver licenses and visa applications. They can also reload their mobile phone prepaid subscription and make purchases at supermarkets.

In the future, the ePurse application will also enable payment at public car parks and toll gates.

As prime contractor, Gemalto supplied BankMuscat and Royal Oman Police with the Coesys ePurse product, which includes the post-issuance solution to activate the application and the centralized system to manage the transactions. Gemalto also provided consulting services, project management as well as support and maintenance.

BankMuscat, which acts as an issuer of the e-purse, initiated and implemented the project. Going forward, the country’s Information Technology Authority will host the e-purse system in-house and expand the application to all banks in Oman.

Omani citizens and residents can use the new applications without the need to renew their ID card. [end] 

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