Gartner DataQuest Names SchlumbergerSema as World’s Leading Smart Card Provider
02 June, 2002
category: Contactless, Education
AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 28, 2002–SchlumbergerSema, a business unit of Schlumberger Limited (NYSE:SLB), today announced that the Gartner Dataquest 2001 report on the chip card market confirms its worldwide leadership position in the smart card industry.
According to the Gartner Dataquest Worldwide Chip Card Market Share, 2001: Card Vendors and Semiconductor Vendors report, SchlumbergerSema shipped 198 million smart cards last year, accounting for 29% of the world’s total shipments.
The Gartner report defines smart cards as microprocessor chip cards, as opposed to memory chip cards and magnetic stripe cards. Microprocessor smart cards offer exceptionally high levels of convenience, security and multi-application capabilities for their low cost, enabling corporations and government agencies to facilitate and protect new value-added services. Memory cards are limited to less complex uses, such as prepaid phone cards or basic loyalty applications, while magnetic stripe cards offer a basic level of functionality.
“Worldwide smart card shipments reached 685.4 million units in 2001, up 10.4 percent over 2000,” stated Clare Hirst, analyst, Gartner Dataquest. “Shipments of microprocessor cards for the financial segment will increase significantly over the next three years, helping to drive growth for leading card producers that already supply to that sector. In 2001, SchlumbergerSema benefitted from its strong shipments of financial applications and outperformed its competitors.”
“Gartner Dataquest’s confirmation of our leadership position is clear recognition of the trust our customers place in our company,” said Jorgen Rasmussen, president, Cards, SchlumbergerSema. “The microprocessor cards aren’t commodity items like the other cards. They are the enabling technology for increasingly sophisticated electronic payment, communications and security applications. By this time next year, we expect half our smart card shipments to be multi-application cards that will leverage our systems design, integration and service solution strengths across the telecommunications, finance, corporate and government sectors.”
With its end-to-end solutions capabilities, SchlumbergerSema is uniquely positioned to support the anticipated growth levels in the financial sector. According to the Gartner Dataquest study, the EMV (Europay-MasterCard-Visa) platform is expected to be the key driver for widespread adoption of smart cards as banks begin to comply with EMV implementation requirements. The adoption of EMV smart cards, which significantly reduces the risk of fraudulent credit/debit card transactions, are required to be implemented throughout Europe and South America by 2005.
SchlumbergerSema expects North America to be a strong growth area, where the high level of convenience and security provided by smart cards at an affordable cost will help spur widespread adoption of smart card technology. The company also anticipates steady growth in the public sector, where a number of successful projects are already resetting expectations for secure and trusted smart card ID projects.
About SchlumbergerSema
SchlumbergerSema is a leading information technology services company providing consulting, systems integration, managed services and products to the telecommunications, energy and utilities, finance, transport and public sector markets. With more than 30,000 employees serving customers in 65 countries, SchlumbergerSema is one of two business segments of Schlumberger Limited, a global technology services company. For more information about SchlumbergerSema, visit http://www.slb.com.
CONTACT: SchlumbergerSema
Karen Hodgson, 905/315-9719
or
Metzger Associates
Kathryn Marshall, 303/786-7000, ext. 215
[email protected]
