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Gemplus and Nextel extend contract
Contract renewal recognizes Gemplus' dedicated technical
support, customer service, and proven expertise to deliver SIM cards to
wireless operators
Dallas, Texas - June 10, 2002 - Gemplus (NASDAQ: GEMP), the world's
leading provider of smart card-enabled solutions, today announced that
it will continue to provide SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards, including
Java Card™ technology, to Nextel Communications (NASDAQ: NXTL), the
premier provider of mobile wireless services to business customers, as
an extension of the companies' five-year relationship. With the experience
and dedication of Gemplus, Nextel was able to efficiently integrate SIM
cards into its operations and benefit from logistics efficiencies and
global roaming revenues. The contract renewal is an endorsement of Gemplus'
technical support, customer service and manufacturing expertise in the
SIM card industry.
"We are pleased with the portability and global roaming capabilities
Gemplus' technology offers to our customers for identification and user
phonebook capabilities," said Blair Kutrow, vice president of product
development at Nextel Communications. "We are pleased to extend our
partnership and look forward to enhancing the innovation of Nextel's product
with Gemplus' SIM card solutions."
Gemplus offers a flexible and secure mobile experience for operators
and subscribers alike through its successful GemXplore 'Xpresso Java Card
technology platform, as well as the Gemplus Developers Program for the
developers' community. Java Card technology is rapidly becoming a preferred
solution for deploying mobile data services, allowing the dynamic download
or removal of applications and services to the SIM card.
"We are proud to support Nextel in its pioneering spirit in the
wireless Java environments," said Mac McKinnon, vice president, Telecom
North America, Gemplus. "Gemplus SIM cards bring unique features
to Nextel including certified security and applet management, combined
with the vision of integrated J2ME and the interoperable Java Card technology."
About Gemplus
GEMPLUS: the world's leading provider of smart card solutions.
Gemplus helps its clients offer an exceptional range of portable, personalized
solutions that bring security and convenience to people's lives. These
include mobile Internet access, inter-operable banking facilities, e-commerce
and a wealth of other applications.
Gemplus is the only completely dedicated, truly global player in the Smart
Card industry, with the largest R&D team, unrivalled experience, and
an outstanding track record of technological innovation.
In 2001, Gemplus was the world number one in smart card shipments according
to Gartner-Dataquest. Based on Eurosmart estimates, Gemplus shipped 34%
of the worldwide market.
Gemplus trades its shares on Euronext Paris S.A. First Market and on the
Nasdaq Stock Market™ as GEMP in the form of ADSs. Its revenue in
2001 was 1.0 billion Euros.
Gemplus: Beyond Smart
About Nextel
Nextel Communications, Inc., based in Reston, Va., is a leading provider
of fully integrated wireless communications services and has built the
largest guaranteed all-digital wireless network in the country covering
thousands of communities across the United States. Nextel and Nextel Partners,
Inc., currently serve 197 of the top 200 U.S. markets. Through recent
market launches, Nextel and Nextel Partners service is available today
in areas of the U.S. where approximately 230 million people live or work.
Contacts
Kerry Butler
Phone: +1 215 390 2840
kerry.butler@gemplus.com
Alicia Jones
Edelman PR Worldwide
Tel: +1 323 202 1047
alicia.jones@edelman.com
©2002 Gemplus All rights reserved.
Gemplus and 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. Sun, Java and Java Card are trademarks
or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States
and other countries.
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