Gemplus has Supplied Over Half a Million Setec ePassports to Several European Countries Since October 2005
Luxembourg and Vantaa, Finland (ots/PRNewswire)
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), a world leading provider of secure card-based solutions, announces today that, in the last six months, it has supplied well over half a million personalized and biometric Setec ePassports to four different countries. Taking into account both the number of personalized biometric passports issued and the number of countries using Setec ePassports, Gemplus is currently the leading ePassport supplier in the world.
Sweden and Norway were the two first pioneers worldwide to start nationwide roll-outs with biometric passports. Both countries migrated successfully to Gemplus's Setec ePassports at the beginning of October 2005. In addition, Gemplus also supplies Sweden with biometric national eID cards suitable for travel within the Schengen area.
All Gemplus's ePassports are compliant with the ICAO and EU specifications. Two different but equally secure solutions are proposed. The first is a polycarbonate-based data page including microchip with biometric identifiers. The second is called a "cover" solution, where the microchip with biometrics is embedded in the passport cover. Gemplus has supplied both data page and cover solutions for its customers, alongside personalization services, electronic ordering and delivery services, image processing and key management services to several customers.
Furthermore, the Setec-developed personalization system for issuing biometric emergency passports is in use in Sweden. In practice this means that a citizen can apply for a normal biometric passport even at a border control on a while-you-wait basis. This concept was developed to serve citizens who have forgotten their passport when travelling but the same concept can be used for issuing other ID and eID documents as well.
The security level of Gemplus's Setec ePassports is very high due to the combination of polycarbonate and laser engraving which enables several visual security elements. This is combined with plenty of experience and leading research and development resources in smart card operating systems and PKI technology. Also the in-house competence on chip inlays and the capability to manage the whole value chain of passport are key elements in Gemplus' ePassport services.
"A year on since we announced the acquisition of Setec, we have been pleased with the combined efforts and results in Identity and Security. Various ePassport projects are under way and we have received only positive feedback from our customers. This stands us in good stead for new projects over the next few months and years," states Philippe Vallée, Chief Technology Officer, Gemplus. "Setec has now become the brand name for our Government and ID range of products and services".
About Gemplus
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP) is a world leading player in the secure card industry in both revenue and total shipments (source: Gartner-Dataquest 2005, Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor). It has sold over 5.5 billion smart cards.
Gemplus delivers a wide range of portable, personalized solutions in areas including Identity, Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Healthcare, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, and access control.
Setec, a Gemplus company acquired in 2005, becomes the brand name for Government Identity solutions. The Setec solutions include products that require extreme security, such as biometric and visual passports, electronic and visual ID cards, driving licenses and health cards. Most of Gemplus passports and ID cards are manufactured in Setec production in Vantaa, Finland.
Gemplus' revenue in 2005 was 939 million Euros.
www.gemplus.com
For more information:
Tuula Wäyrynen
Communications Manager, Northern Europe
+358-(0)9-8941-4532, +358-(0)40-824-3459
tuula.wayrynen@gemplus.com
Jane Strachey
Gemplus Press Relations Manager
+33-(0)442364661 / +33-(0)676493593
Jane.strachey@gemplus.com(c)2006 Gemplus. All rights reserved. Gemplus, the Gemplus logo, are trademarks and service marks of Gemplus S.A. and are registered in certain countries. All other trademarks and service marks, whether registered or not in specific countries, are the property of their respective owners.
Some of the statements contained in this release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activities, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual events or results may differ materially. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those estimated by the forward-looking statements contained in this release include, but are not limited to: trends in wireless communication and mobile commerce markets; our ability to develop new technology, and the effects of competing technologies developed and expected intense competition generally in our main markets; profitability of our expansion strategy; challenges to or loss of our intellectual property rights; our ability to establish and maintain strategic relationships in our major businesses; our ability to develop and take advantage of new software and services; and the effect of future acquisitions and investments on our share price. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of this release. We are under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after this date to conform such statements to actual results or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated results.
Contact:
For more information: Tuula Wäyrynen, Communications Manager,
Northern Europe, +358-(0)9-8941-4532, +358-(0)40-824-3459,
tuula.wayrynen@gemplus.com. Jane Strachey, Gemplus Press Relations
Manager, +33-(0)442364661 / +33-(0)676493593,
Jane.strachey@gemplus.com