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Over 50 US colleges now use contactless smart card systems
8 Feb 2011

Over 50 higher education institutions in the US now use contactless smart card systems, it has been revealed.

Technology firm Blackboard and Sony Electronics launched the Blackboard Transact contactless technology less than a year ago but a number of collegesand universities have already introduced it.

Cardholders can gain access to secure buildings and facilities, pay for meals and laundry and gain entry to campus events quickly and securely.

Florida State University (FSU) is the latest institution to adopt the technology and has issued 50,000 contactless smart cards to its students.

"The adoption of Blackboard contactless technology offered a seamless migration path and provided cardholders with an intuitive, easy to use upgrade to the card," said Richard Wynn, FSU's card director.

"The addition of a new level of security was another major factor in our decision to change from our previous card technology."

Tulane University, the University of Texas at Tyler and Georgia's Mercer University have also adopted the technology in recent months.