SmartGate reaches milestone

Sagem Sécurité has announced that its automated SmartGate system, used for Australian and New Zealand travelers with electronic passports, has now exceeded 150,000 passages. The company says the system will soon be accessible to all holders of e-passports that comply with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards.

SmartGate identifies travelers using facial recognition technology, based on photos integrated in the chip of electronic passports. The two-step operation requires only an automated kiosk and a biometric gate. Travelers are authenticated in real time, thus simplifying the control process, while also accelerating border passage.

Through the SmartGate project, Sagem Sécurité has worked with domestic companies Neo and Magnetic Automation, based in Melbourne, as well as the Australian Customs Service.

The SmartGate system is already in operation at the Brisbane, Cairns and Melbourne international airports, and will gradually be installed at other international airports in the country by June 2009.