Canada rolls out broadband project

Canadian industry minister Tony Clement has approved 52 projects to extend broadband Internet coverage to 169 000 rural households in Ottawa, states the Financial Post.

According to Clement, $76.6 million will be spent on high-speed Internet connections in 50 communities to improve information access, electronic billing and invoice services.

This is part of the $225 million the federal government earmarked in its 2009 budget to extend broadband coverage to rural Canadians in an effort to spur economic productivity and innovation.

Cubic Corporation has signed a contract with the Public Transport Ticketing Corporation to provide an electronic ticketing system in Sydney, Australia, reports Market Watch.

The deal is valued at $370 million and enables commuters to pay with smart cards.

Stephen Shewmaker, president of Cubic Transportation Systems, says: "Our system will be based on time-tested technology, but will also have the capability to incorporate the latest payment innovations now under development."

The Swiss economics ministry has rolled out a chip card aimed at making online commerce and electronic transactions with local authorities safer, says Swiss Info.

“It has a huge potential and helps us to improve the competitive edge of Switzerland,” says Jean-Daniel Gerber, head of the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs.

The card acts as a secure digital signature that improves financial transaction security and enables users to sign documents digitally. Around 300 000 cards are expected to be sold by the end of the year.