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Home Affairs extends Vision-Box airport departures smartgates deal

Source: IT News, 27/09/2019

Vision-box said the â€œshort-termâ€ focus of the extension was on
continuing to support and maintain the 92 existing facial recognition
departures smartgates.
The terminals allow users to scan their passport and continue through
rather than approach an immigration official for processing.
However, Vision-Box also said it would also use the extension to
bring â€œsome innovation in the area of departures smartgates for
automated border controlâ€.
â€œVision-Box will support Home Affairs in implementing several
initiatives that improve the operational efficiency of border
processes,â€ it said.
The extension of the departures contract comes just months after Home
Affairs paused the trial and rollout of its next generation airport
arrivals smartgates from Vision-Box.
The 105 facial biometrics ready arrivals smartgates were to be part
of an automated biometric border control solution slated to
eventually allow travellers to pass through arrivals without
producing a passport.
While the department is currently reviewing the program, iTnews
understands the Vision-Box contract for the arrivals smartgates has
already faltered and will not progress after trials failed to return
good matching results.
Although the department has declined that this is the case, last
month it revealed the existing IDEMIA (previously Morpho) airport
arrivals smartgates would now be refurbished at the cost of $30
million.
Vision-box used the announcement of the extension on the smartgate
depatures program as evidence of its â€œlong-term strategic
partnershipâ€ with Home Affairs, though did not mention its work on
arrivals.
Home Affairs has been contacted for comment.
www.samigration.com

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