IDEMIA Identity and Security (I&S) North America, a leading provider of biometrics and secure identity solutions to federal, state, and local government agencies, has been awarded a contract by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the next generation Credential Authentication Technology (CAT).

The contract ceiling is $128M with a period of performance over seven years.

IDEMIA Identity and Security (I&S) North America is the U.S. arm of the French security firm, and its CAT (Credential Authentication Technology) will be used by the TSA to ensure ID authentication and confirm boarding pass and Secure Flight pre-screening status at the airport security checkpoint.

According to IDEMIA, who is exhibiting at this year’s Milipol Paris, its CAT provides enhanced fraudulent ID detection capabilities while confirming the identity and flight information of travellers and is currently being utilised at approximately 200 airport locations nationwide. The next generation CAT, CAT 2, enhances security screening and enables a touchless experience through biometric technology that includes face match and acceptance of digital identity credentials, like Mobile ID.

A spokesperson for TSA commented: “Automated biometric technology can play an important role in increasing aviation security effectiveness, particularly at the airport checkpoint, by enhancing current manual identity verification procedures. Identity management is a central element to security screening. TSA is working to ensure that its biometric capabilities align with leading standards for identity assurance to strengthen vetting outcomes and identity verification. Participation is entirely voluntary.”

Donnie Scott, CEO, IDEMIA I&S North America, commented: “CAT is one of the most innovative programs we have worked on at IDEMIA, and we are proud to continue building robust identity validation and verification technologies for our partners at TSA, supporting our homeland’s security mission. The CAT program is setting the standard for us in our public-private partnerships across government. Earlier this year we delivered our 2,054th CAT unit to the TSA, a milestone truly representing our team’s hard work, dedication and subject matter expertise in identity and security.”

IDEMIA I&S North America has also been an authorised TSA PreCheck enrollment provider since 2013, processing enrollments for over 17 million travellers to date.

Important Partnership with Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority announced

IDEMIA also announced that it has been selected to supply an automated border control system in Singapore.

The leading identity technology company says it has been awarded the highly competitive and much sought-after Automated Border Control System (ABCS) contract for all travellers entering and exiting the country’s air, land and sea checkpoints, by Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency).

According to a statement from the company, IDEMIA was first awarded a contract to roll-out automated gates for immigration clearance at Changi Airport in 2017.

The firm has subsequently worked with ICA and HTX to equip other Changi Airport terminals as well as Woodlands and Tuas land checkpoints with automated gates, delivering a seamless and secure experience for all travellers.

Following the award of this contract, IDEMIA will continue to expand its investment in Singapore, nurturing local talent and expertise by putting its next generation systems into all air, land and sea border checkpoints. IDEMIA will be deploying its Augmented Borders Suite along with new front end technologies including the award-winning ID-LookTM devices and a range of digital processing to deliver a smart, automated and robust border crossing system.

Matt Cole, IDEMIA Executive Vice President, Public Security and Identity, commented: “We’re thrilled to be awarded this high-profile contract that showcases our ability to surpass our customers’ expectations, our ongoing and significant investment in innovation and our capacity to roll out our technologies at scale. We look forward to paving the way for a future digital travel era.”