Schlumberger Ltd, the Paris, France-based smart card and security comapany, is providing the technology for an electronic purse trial by the Consorcio de Transporte de Madrid, a group of state-owned and private companies operating transport in Madrid.
The e-purse is a smart card with a gold contact surface chip. The card can be used either as a contact card, with an ATM terminal, or contactless [for passing through an underground station gateway], says Schlumberger’s bank and retail sales manager, Jerome Traisnel.
Traisnel says it has also found favor in other areas and lists students, who use the card for photocopying credits, canteen bills, and PC internet access; as well as listeners to specific radio stations; and supporters of selected football teams. Schlumberger estimates that about 5 million E-purse cards are already in circulation in Spain and are used in payphones, parking meters and cigarette vending machines.
