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Gemplus, France Telecom Mobiles and Certplus to pilot Wireless PKI based secure transactions Mobitrust enables secure transactions over a mobile phone using a digital signature based on Public Key Infrastructure



Tuesday 13 February – Gemplus, the world’s leading provider of smart card based solutions, France Telecom Mobiles, the first mobile operator in France, part of Orange S.A. the second mobile operator in Europe, and Certplus, the first trusted services operator in France announce the launch of Mobitrust, the first experiment aimed at securing mobile transactions by means of digital signature based on PKI (Public Key Infrastructure).
Thanks to Mobitrust, the customer is able to carry out mobile commerce transactions (such as betting, stock-trading, ticketing, banking services, etc.), with complete confidence and security.

The Mobitrust initiative represents a significant step in mobile commerce. The digital signature, generated by the SIM/WIM card, offers the highest level of security guaranteeing the non-repudiation of transactions.
Mobitrust is based on a dedicated Public Key Infrastructure born out of the partnership of leaders in their respective fields.
- Gemplus provides GemXploreTM Trust, an enhanced SIM/WIM card able to launch a digital signature to secure mobile commerce. It also assists in building the Wireless PKI Gateway.
- France Telecom Mobiles provides the GSM infrastructure and WAP services. It also develops and operates the Wireless PKI Gateway which manages the transaction flow and security operations.
- Certplus, acting as the certification operator, provides ‘Trust’ services and delivers digital certificates to each mobile user in order to facilitate his personal digital signature.

Thanks to Mobitrust, the customer can sign transactions initiated by GSM terminals (WAP, SIM ToolKit), web (PC, PDA) or any other communication channel and have electronic proof that the transaction has been securely carried out.

“Mobitrust will forge a ‘Bond of Trust’ between consumers, retailers and mobile operators. Confidence in transactions will allow a faster deployment of Mobile Commerce” explains Patrick Imbert, Mobile Commerce Director, Gemplus.
Thanks to Mobitrust, the mobile operator becomes the provider of a new value in the mobile value chain : Trust. “France Telecom Mobiles, building on its existing relationship with its subscribers, is in the best position to guarantee transactions, promoting and encouraging development and use of value added services over a mobile phone ” says Guy Lafarge, Marketing Director, FTM.
A result of the strong collaboration between FTM, Gemplus and Certplus, Mobitrust will become a benchmark in the world of mobile commerce, in line with the EU Directive for digital signatures.
“With Mobitrust and through digital signatures, mobile phone users will have access to the same level of trust and confidence as with a hand signed document.”, comments Jacques Pantin, General Manager of Certplus.

The Mobitrust pilot will be effective during the next summer.

Editors’Notes
*WIM: WAP Identity Module (WIM) is the secure token for WAP-based mobile transactions.
The WIM application running on Gemplus’ enhanced Public Key SIM card, GemXplore™ Trust, provides authentication for access to private data, confidentiality and digital signatures.

Come along to the Gemplus stand, C49 Hall 2, to see presentations of Mobitrust - one of the most advanced innovations for the wireless world in 2001.




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About Gemplus
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.




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About France Telecom Mobiles, part of Orange S.A.
France Telecom Mobiles is the French subsidiary of Orange S.A., the second mobile operator in Europe. Orange S.A. co-ordinates all the mobile activities of France Telecom world-wide through its 20 subsidiaries. Orange S.A. represents 24 per cent of the market share in Europe (September 2000) with 31-million subscribers at the end of 2000. By 2005 Orange S.A. aims to have increased its subscriber base to 1.5 billion people in 50 countries. With its strong international presence, Orange is set to develop many pan-European services aimed at both the general public and corporate environments.


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About Certplus
Certplus is the first trusted service operator in France. It was created in 1998 by 4 founding shareholders: Gemplus, France Telecom, EADS and VeriSign. They were joined at the beginning of 2000 by the CIBP (Confédération Internationale des Banques Populaires). Certplus’ mission is to help companies to set up their trusted spaces to answer their needs for secure mail (signature and encryption), access control and privacy (Intranet, Extranet, an VPN), online signature of forms and statements (integrity and non-repudiation). Thanks to our technical expertise, our highly secured infrastructures, and our proven physical and logical security procedures (certified by a statement from banks and the government), Certplus is now the French leading certificate service provider. To learn more about us, you can go to http://www.certplus.com.


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Contacts
Gemplus Corporate, Marielle Bricman
tel: 33 4 42 36 55 96
email: Marielle.bricman@gemplus.com

Gemplus Wireless, Agnes Derderian
tel: 33 4 42 36 50 00
email: agnes.derderian@gemplus.com



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