19.10.2006 – 08:03

Gemalto

MTN Delivers First Mobile TV Launch in Africa With Gemalto

Cape Town (ots/PRNewswire)

- Leading African Operator Provides its Subscribers With Quick and
Easy  Access to Compelling Service

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), a world leader in digital
security,  today announces it has been selected by MTN South Africa
for the first-ever commercial rollout of secure mobile TV on the
African continent. MTN South Africa is part of the MTN Group, a
multinational telecommunications group operating in 21 countries in
Africa and the Middle East. The Gemalto package includes the supply
of third-generation cards, as well as consulting services and project
management. Based on the DVB-H technology, the service is available
to all MTN South Africa subscribers, post- and pre-paid.

Under the contract, Gemalto delivered a complete m-TV solution
that allows MTN South Africa to address all categories of
subscribers. Willing to make its innovative services accessible to
the great majority, MTN South Africa aims to offer mobile TV to
people who do not own a TV set so that everyone can watch their
favourite program, whenever they want, wherever they are.
Subscription to the service is very simple and users are offered
direct access to TV programs through an easy-to-navigate menu.

The Gemalto cards host the end-user's access rights and protect
the access to the encrypted TV content to ensure the highest levels
of security to the service. The cards allow MTN South Africa to
dynamically manage each subscriber's profile and offer a personalized
user interface, thus creating a highly flexible mobile TV service.

Ashraff Paruk, General Manager, Strategy, Product and Innovation
at MTN, said: ''MTN is delighted to offer the first commercially
available 3G/DVB-H cellphone in the South African market. We are
happy that Gemalto's encryption technology gives MTN a competitive
edge in the local marketplace. Together with our partners we have
enabled customers to get their hands on LIVE TV.''

"MTN South Africa has always been at the forefront of innovation,"
added Xavier Chanay, president CIS, Middle East and Africa at
Gemalto. "We are pleased to strengthen MTN's brand exposure through
these pioneering multimedia services."

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is a leader in digital
security with  pro forma 2005 annual revenues of EUR1,7 billion ($2.2
billion), operations  in 120 countries and 11,000 employees including
1,500 R&D engineers. The company's solutions make personal digital
interactions secure and easy in a world where everything of value
-from money to entertainment to identities- is increasingly
represented as bits and bytes communicated over networks.

Gemalto thrives on creating and deploying secure platforms,
portable and secure forms of software in highly personal objects like
smart cards, SIMs, e-passports, readers and tokens. More than a
billion people worldwide use the company's products and services for
telecommunications, banking, e-government, identity management,
multimedia content, digital rights management, IT security and other
applications. Gemalto was formed in June 2006 by the combination of
Axalto and Gemplus International S.A. For more information please
visit www.gemalto.com.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational
telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa and the
Middle East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange
under the share code: "MTN". As at 30 June 2006, MTN recorded more
than 31 million subscribers across its operations, including those of
the newly acquired Investcom LLC. In August 2006, the MTN Group
launched operations in the Islamic Republic of Iran following the
successful purchase of a 49 percent shareholding in Irancell.

The MTN Group operates in Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire,
Nigeria, Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa,
Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia. The acquisition of Investcom adds the
following countries of operation to MTN's portfolio: Afghanistan,
Benin, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea Republic, Liberia, Sudan,
Syria and Yemen.

Contacts Gemalto

Gemalto
    Aline Borne
    T.: +33-1-55-01-51-05
    M.: +33-6-16-29-87-04
     aline.borne@gemalto.com
    Fleishman-Hillard
    Odile Bibollet
    Tél.: +33-1-47-42-92-82
     odile.bibollet@fleishmaneurope.com

Contact:

Gemalto, Aline Borne, T.: +33-1-55-01-51-05, M.: +33-6-16-29-87-04,
aline.borne@gemalto.com;
Fleishman-Hillard, Odile Bibollet, Tél.: +33-1-47-42-92-82,
odile.bibollet@fleishmaneurope.com