AT&T Corp has signed an agreement with California State University to supply students with an identification card that will not only enable them to make phone-calls but also enter campus facilities, buy meals, purchase books at university bookstores, use vending machines, have access to library and health care services with a swipe. It is the card’s ability to act also as a phone card that differentiates it from Smart Cards such as those made by Schlumberger SA for electronic purse applications, which was issued to students of the University of Michigan and Western Michigan University in 1995 (CI No 2,724). The deal with California State University, which serves 330,000 students and staff on 22 campuses around the region, could net the US carrier $72.5m in the next five years. Thomas West, the University’s assistant vice-chancellor, said: A flexible services card was high on our list of student-friendly services that CSU committed to deliver as part of its integrated technology strategy. AT&T will also set up a private network linking the university campuses for business communication services. Each campus will be able to receive its monthly invoice on CD-ROM, including complete call details and AT&T’s billing Edge Desktop Analysis Software.
