Gemplus supplies smart card system to Virgin Space Internet cafes

Internet Business News, August 27, 2001

INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2001 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

UK-based Virgin Megastores has selected the Luxembourg-based smart card systems provider Gemplus to secure the Internet experience of customers at its Virgin Space chain of Internet cafes.

Virgin has already installed Gemplus' technology at its Internet cafes in Oxford, Leeds and London's Oxford Street. Over the next few months Virgin plans to roll out the technology to further cafes throughout Britain.

With the system, each customer entering the Virgin Space Internet Cafe is given a Gemplus smart card for insertion into a smart card reader at the side of their PC. The customer then enters a four-digit personal identification number (PIN) to be able to access the Internet securely. As soon as the smart card is removed, the Internet connection is terminated for that particular customer.

Financial terms of the contract were not revealed.

((Comments on this story may be sent to info@m2.com))