1.5 billion smart credentials to ship

The increasing use of smart cards and biometric capture has changed the way government and healthcare citizen ID documentation is viewed, managed and deployed (Help Net Security)

Many governments are adopting smart, chip-based solutions for several reasons:

• To help combat fraudulent and criminal activities
• To improve return on investment and bundle several applications in one document to create efficiencies for government departments
• To make the documents more user-friendly, flexible, and secure for citizens.

1.5 Billion is an astounding number.

More at the link.