|
BodyCom™ Technologies and Gemplus Announce a Joint Marketing Agreement
BodyCom Technologies and Gemplus Team up to Supply the Smart Card-enabled GPRS Forum™ Communicator to the Worldwide Identity and Healthcare Markets
Redwood City and Palo Alto, Calif., March 12, 2001 - BodyCom Technologies and Gemplus, announced today that they have entered into a Joint Marketing Agreement. Under the agreement, both companies will cooperate in promoting and marketing their respective products in order to increase customer recognition of the benefits of the joint use of Gemplus and BodyCom products.
Through its fully integrated smart card reader, the Forum will offer radical new applications such as highly secure mobile on-line financial transactions, on-line banking and cutting edge point-of-sale electronic purchases, in conjunction with the Bluetooth short-range RF.
Numerous countries worldwide are seriously considering the implementation of smart citizen Identity cards providing access to government and public services anywhere, anytime. BodyCom's wireless and portable terminals will definitely provide the necessary cornerstone to enable authorities to securely access identity, driving license and car insurance information with a user-friendly, privacy sensitive and convenient workstation. BodyCom's optional fingerprint sensor will enable Off and On-line identity verification of smart citizen ID card holders.
Dr. Bruno Lassus, VP of Healthcare and Identity Solutions at Gemplus also mentions interesting opportunities using the BodyCom's ForumÔ for healthcare applications in socialized medicine countries where he has already implemented some national smart health insurance and medical card programs. "These countries have medical providers visiting patients at home and ForumÔ would provide an exceptional and expected secure solution enabling real-time eligibility verification but also accessing remote medical information and finally submitting wireless electronic claims processing" he claims.
BodyCom's Forum line of communicators combines the very best features of wireless mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). The Forum enables revolutionary and secure m-commerce, and multi-media functionality. Through the use of miniaturized and robust technologies, the Forum is a truly pocket-sized Smart Mobile Device (SMD), with fully integrated GSM, GPRS and Bluetooth capabilities. In addition there is a highly sophisticated module expansion architecture, known as the "Backpack™". These sophisticated USB Backpacks will allow BodyCom and third parties to provide any additional functionality to the basic communicator, including a Fingerprint Sensor; Campack; Compact Flash Type II, GPS, 802.11, and numerous other features.
"BodyCom is excited to partner with Gemplus because of its demonstrated leadership in delivering market leading smart card solutions," said BodyCom Chairman and CEO Michael Ausems. "This partnership leverages the strengths of both companys and will enable the healthcare system to streamline inter-organization communication with uncompromising personal privacy or security. The improved communication resulting from the use of our Forum Communicator and Gemplus technology will help reduce administrative costs and improve the quality of healthcare."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About BodyCom
BodyCom Technologies' mission is to be the world's leading provider of truly pocket-sized, highly integrated, GPRS, UMTS and Bluetooth-enabled SMDs. Communicators that offer extreme ease-of-use, and enable revolutionary internet-based, m-commerce applications.
Founded in 1998, BodyCom is privately held and headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Please visit http://www.bodycom.com for further information.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About Gemplus
The world's leading smart card solutions provider
Since its creation in 1988, Gemplus International S.A.(Euronext: Sicovam 5768 and NASDAQ:GEMP) has driven the global marketing and deployment of smart card-based applications for telecommunications, financial services and e-business security.
Gemplus is instrumental throughout the value chain - chip design, card management systems, software development, and consulting - delivering integrated custom-made solutions for the security, personalization and privacy management needs of clients and partners worldwide.
Gemplus technology has played a defining role in the development of wireless telephony since the introduction of SIM cards into the GSM standard in 1990. For more than a decade, Gemplus has pioneered applications that enable network operators around the world to answer the changing needs of their customers. Gemplus was first to market with a 3G card and supplies a product range compliant with new and emerging transmission standards - 2.5G, 3G.
In 2000, revenue was 1.205 BE, up 57% from the previous year's 767ME. Net income was 99 ME. Gemplus employs more than 7800 people in 37 countries worldwide.
Since 11 December 2000, Gemplus shares have been trading on Euronext Paris S.A. First Market and on Nasdaq in the form of ADSs.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts
Gemplus, Ron Schwenger
( 1) 650 654-2978
e-mail: ron.schwenger@gemplus.com
BodyCom, Michael Ausems
tel: 1 (650) 324-9160
email: michael.ausems@bodycom.com
©2001 Gemplus All rights reserved. Gemplus,
the Gemplus logo and GemSense 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.
|
|
