CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS 2014, the digital security industry's foremost event set to take place at Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre on 4-6 November 2014, will welcome the United Arab Emirates this year as its country of honour. For this occasion, Smart Insights, which provides specialised information about the secured transactions industry (designed by Intelling) will partner CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS, bringing the latest about the U.A.E. digital security market.
At the cutting edge of connectivity, the U.A.E. will be given a starring role at several occasions in the event:
The United Arab Emirates have experienced surging economic growth these past years. Their innovative position and aspiration to rapidly become a standard-setting technological centre in the EMEA Region (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and across the world have attracted many companies. Multiple digital security industry projects have already been initiated, such as: eID, for all U.A.E. inhabitants, the eGates installed in all airport terminals, and the newly-developed cashless bill transport system, etc. Aspiring to become a major industrial centre for electronic micro-chips in the years to come, the U.A.E. have also invested massively in that area.
Wednesday, 5 November 2014 – Conference moderated by
Emirates Identity Authority (EIDA)
about Secured Documents & e-Governments. 4-6 November 2014: 4 exhibitors from the U.A.E. at CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS: GSS International, Futurecard, Mobiducks and United Security Printing.
The United Arab Emirates Report, produced by Smart Insights and sponsored by Austria Card,
will be available at event entrances. It provides a detailed review of the United Arab Emirates market
regarding secured payment, identification and mobility solutions.
The media partner to CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS representing this region is The Arabian
Post, an online business daily in the Gulf and Middle East, with an international reach.
CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS is the world's standard- settingeventforpayment,identificationandmobility. TheUnitedArabEmirates,atthecuttingedge of connectivity, will be a deserved star of the event. Smart Insights will be publishing its White Paper, "The Smart World behind the U.A.E.", on this occasion.
PAYMENT
This industry has innovated significantly in the U.A.E.
these past years. The number of payment cards in circulation increased from 10.3 million in 2009 to 18.2 million in 2013, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 15%. The number of cards in circulation is expected to increase by 28.4 million by 2018. However, 57% of those aged 18-24 do not hold one, and 77% of the transactions completed in the U.A.E. are still conducted in cash. Most countries across the world have widely adopted EMV technology (Europay, MasterCard, Visa).
The U.A.E. embarked on their migration to EMV technology in 2012, with the migration of all POS (points of sale – payment terminals). The migration was conducted in two stages: DAB equipment in 2012 and EMV compliance for all SmartCards by end-2014.
The country is also turning to new technologies such as NFC, for which the population has been clamouring. 80% of Dubai residents surveyed stated that they would like to be able to use contactless technology for their payment cards or mobile phones. 87% feel that the technology would make everyday life easier and shorten waiting times. In addition, m-payment has developed considerably (transaction levels rose from 86.2 million in 2009 to 1.8 billion dirhams in 2013, and are forecasted to reach 11.1 billion dirhams in 2018).
Another major development in the country is the mobile Point of Sale (mPOS): payment solutions that enable merchants to accept cards with mPOS systems compatible with SmartPhones or Notepads, via USB or BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The Mashreq Bank in Dubaï has established a partnership with Swift and MasterCard to launch Payport, the first EMV-compatible mPOS in the region. NFC technology and contactless payment are already in use in ticketing and merchant systems. ETISALAT was recently recognised as the Best NFC/Mobile Money Service, at the GSMA Global Mobile Awards.
Mobile Wallet initiatives have made their appearance recently in the country. Strongly backed by the U.A.E. Banks Federation, the Wallet Project enjoys the support of the government in that it fosters accessibility to government services by mobile phone for all citizens.
IDENTIFICATION
The U.A.E. ID Cards Programme is one of the most ambitious in the world. The Government wishes to equip the entirety of the resident population, including expatriates and non-citizen immigrants in the Emirates (over 80% of the population). The country is now home to 5.6 million inhabitants. The new ID card will be connected to public services and include other services or applications (for instance, payment).
Launched in 2003, the programme is being run under the Emirates Identity Authority, a federal agency. The first cards were issued in late 2005. The targeted level – ensuring registration for all of the population by 2010 – was reached, and a new card model with tighter security and much larger memory capacity was designed. In 2013, nearly 5 million of these new cards have already been delivered.
The new ID cards include an ID number (15 figures) that connect each individual back to his own personal biometric data. The number is used as a reference point for all communication and transactions with the administration and a handful of private organisations. It also contains encoded personal data accessible only to authorised government agencies, so as to protect individual privacy. Other security functions include digital signatures and strong authentication mechanisms. The card itself is compliant with ICAO design requirements.
The ID card will ultimately replace all existing means of identification, such as work permit, health insurance card, driver's license, etc., and also gives access to several online services (via the MyID technology) and notably all State Internet websites. The EIDA has also initiated a project to verify ID cards via 3 services on SmartPhones. The services include ID card renewal, airline booking and eGates service.
The Government and EIDA are also testing other payment services via the ID card, such as digital signature authentication for secured transactions completed by SmartPhone, or uses as an ATM card (DAB). A pilot was launched with Al Hilal Bank in 2013 in this area.
The U.A.E. are also one of the countries offering the largest number of e-Gates in its airports (self- service gates at immigration control points), which use biometric recognition technology. All Dubai Airports are expected to be equipped with eGates by end-2014, for all of the nation's citizens and residents, as well as for all residents from 32 countries. 1.77 million individuals used it in 2013 (as compared to 1.59 million in 2012), according to DNRD (Dubai Naturalization and Residency Department).
MOBILITY
The U.A.E. rank first in the Arab world when it comes to mobile telecommunications planning. The high-speed mobile market in Arab countries is expected to grow by +255% by 2017, with 142 million connections and potential for USD 108 billion (EUR 84.8 billion) in GDP between 2015 and 2025.
The U.A.E. post the highest mobile penetration rate (approximately 1.7 mobile phones per person of which 73.8% are SmartPhones). Revenue generated by mobile services rose by 6.3% in 2013.
The two operators in the country today (ETISALAT and DU TELECOM) have started to develop the 4G network. DU TELECOM's LTE network currently covers 27.8% of the population and 35.5% of all urban areas. In 2014, ETISALAT and HUAWEI signed a protocol agreement to run a 5G Project in the Region.
The same year, the Telecommunications Regulations Authority (TRA) completed its "My Mobile Phone, My Identity" campaign, in order to protect customers from identity theft and mitigate the risk of illegal SIM cards. M2M technology has also, first and foremost, developed in the oil and gas industries, but also in transport, logistics and retail commerce.
THE U.A.E.S ARE ALSO VERY ADVANCED IN THE FIELD OF TRANSPORT
The Dubai Roads and Transportation Authority (RTA) launched the UAFC (Unified Automated Fare Collection) system, which facilitates access to and frequent use of the transport modes run in the U.A.E.. Launched in 2009, the system enables electronic payment in the form of Smart transport tickets, in paper format or NolCard (smart cards using NXP Mifare DESfire technology) for all public transport in Dubai: Metro, bus, maritime shuttles.
Since 2010, the RTA has been working in cooperation with Emirates NBD, a major financial institution in the U.A.E., to issue a card combining bank credit card functions with those of the NOL Card. The new cards enable contactless payment. Lastly, since 2013, RTA has developed an online prepaid account service, which makes it possible for companies to charge money to their eWallet account as a means of payment for all RTA transport services instead of cash or credit cards.
DUBAI WILL BE HOSTING THE WORLD'S FAIR IN 2020
The Fair's central theme will be "Connecting Minds, Building the Future" – a project that effectively writes the issue of connectivity between individuals, societies and ideas into the context of growth and sustainability for the future.
"The international community is now faced with increasingly complex and more interconnected challenges as it strives for economic development", emphasises Isabelle ALFANO, Director of the CARTES SECURE CONNEXIONS event, "The U.A.E. project for the World's Fair is a fine example and will give us the chance to promote new initiatives within the setting of this 29th World's Fair".
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