Gemplus and Orange Launch Multimedia SIMs for the Multimedia Age
Luxembourg and Cartes 2005 Paris, November 14 (ots/PRNewswire)
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), the world's leading provider of smart card solutions, and Orange SA, one of the world's largest mobile communications companies and part of the France Telecom group, today announces the world's first commercial launch of multimedia SIMs for Orange customers.
As part of an ongoing relationship looking at what is best for the customer, Orange has teamed up with Gemplus to launch an innovative SIM solution for their customer's personal data. This new multimedia SIM enables Orange subscribers to enjoy wireless multimedia services through the world first implementation of the SIM, offering:
- Huge memory capacity of 128MB for the storage and management of large multimedia content and operator support for the deployment of such content and services.
- High speed download protocol (similar to current broadband Internet speeds) which allow fast access to data stored in the card enabling the Orange mobile user to connect their mobile equipment (SIM + Handset) and manage their personal data from their PC
- Exclusive access to dedicated Orange content stored within the multimedia SIM.
- Existing SIM functions
Yves Maitre, VP Devices, Products, Technology and Innovation Orange Group, explained, "We have always been a huge believer in the capabilities of the SIM and share Gemplus's vision for the SIM's future. High capacity storage, security and portability of personal data, coupled with decent content are where we will generate greater customer loyalty and an increase of the use of data services. Gemplus has had this vision and has been able to deploy it successfully and robustly. This makes them a great partner for this launch."
Eric Mora, Head of Cards, Products, Technology and Innovation, Orange Group, added "This is a new way for us to deliver secure yet portable services and multimedia content to our customers. By working with Gemplus, we have been able to transform promising technology into a reality. This is just the beginning, but we see great potential in the multimedia SIM."
The commercial launch is set for November 2005 and is based on a SAGEM handset. Other Asian handset manufacturers are planning to follow suit in the beginning of 2006.
Gemplus announced the launch of its range of high capacity SIM cards earlier this year at the 3GSM World Congress in February. Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President, Telecom Business Unit, Gemplus, commented "Gemplus is pleased to have gone from what was a proof of concept to a commercial launch in the space of nine months, which is in no small part thanks to the support of Orange. We are very pleased with this collaboration in moving forward into a new era for the SIM bringing new benefits both for wireless operators and mobile users in the new multimedia age"
To learn more about Gemplus products and services, visit the Gemplus booth at Cartes 2005, 15-17 November 2005, Paris.
About Gemplus
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP) is the world's leading player in the smart 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, personalised solutions in areas including Identity, Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Healthcare, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, and access control.
Gemplus' revenue in 2004 was 865 million Euros.
www.gemplus.com
Notes to Editors
Orange and wirefree and any other Orange product or service names included in this material are trademarks of Orange PCS. Orange is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies and a subsidiary of the France Telecom group, with operations in 17 countries across Europe and beyond. It provides a broad range of personal communications services, including Orange GSM1800 services and other digital cellular telephone services. Within the Orange Group, the Orange brand operates in the UK, France, Switzerland, Romania, Slovakia, Thailand, the Ivory Coast, the Dominican Republic, Cameroon, the Netherlands, Botswana, and Madagascar. The Orange group also has controlled operations in Belgium (Mobistar). The Orange group has a joint controlling interest in Egypt (MobiNil) and minority interests in Portugal (Optimus) and in Austria (One). As at the end of June 2005, Orange had 14.46 million active customers in the UK, and over 21.4 million registered customers in France. As at the end of June 2005, Orange controlled companies had over 56.1 million customers worldwide. Orange, along with TIM, Telefonica and T-Mobile, is a founding member of the FreeMove alliance. Further information about Orange can be found on the Orange website at www.orange.com.
(c)2005 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.
For more information:
Jane Strachey
Gemplus
Tel: +33-442364661
Mobile: +33-676493593
Email: jane.strachey@gemplus.com
Matthew McGuinness
Edelman PR
Tel: +44-207-344-1259
Email: matthew.mcguinness@edelman.comContact:
Jane Strachey, Gemplus, Tel: +33-442364661, Mobile: +33-676493593,
Email: jane.strachey@gemplus.com. Matthew McGuinness, Edelman PR,
Tel: +44-207-344-1259, Email: matthew.mcguinness@edelman.com