Gemplus operates massive OTA download for Saudi Telecom Company

Over one billion SMS managed by the GemConnect OTA and Online gateways

Luxembourg, 15 June 2004, Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), the world's leading provider of smart card based solutions, today announced that it carried out the largest Over The Air download campaign, on behalf of ALJAWAL (Mobile Business unit of Saudi Telecom), treating 6.3 million SIM cards.

ALJAWAL (Mobile business unit of Saudi Telecom) selected Gemplus to deliver an Over The Air platform and Dynamic SIM Toolkit solution in order to ease subscriber access to their new SMS-based content value added services, "Abwab". For speed of deployment, ALJAWAL deployed SIM cards to the field, embedded with a S@T1 dynamic SIM Toolkit engine, which Gemplus then "post-personalized" with 6Kb of data per card, over the air. The 6.3 million cards updated came from multiple suppliers, demonstrating the interoperability of this solution.

For the Information on Demand services deployed, the Gemplus platform was able to support 120 service requests per second, which represents 300 SMS/s. In two months, ALJAWAL saw a return on their investment through the increased use of SMS linked to Abwab.

Jameel A. Al Molhem, ALJAWAL GM-Marketing, said, "We wanted to deploy varied and personalized value added services to our subscribers but were looking for a fast time-to-market and flexibility. By going down the post-personalization route, we were able to deploy Dynamic SIM ToolKit-enabled SIM cards to the field, and then add the services at a later date via the OTA gateway. Gemplus proved to be a strong partner with a robust solution."

Dynamic SIM ToolKit enables STC to offer a range of easily updateable "Information on demand" services, including prayer time services, business and market news, fun and sports menus, weather and stock reports. The use of the Over The Air platform means that STC can carry out remote SIM service management (service updates, deletions and even information changes relating to the subscription), thus maintaining close links with their subscriber base, once the SIM is in the field. The OTA platform is also an open door to a portfolio of many other services, such as mobile banking.

Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President, Gemplus Telecom, said "Mobile Network Operators are increasingly concerned about maintaining their relationship with their customers once the subscription is up and running. As proved with STC, post-personalization and the use of OTA technology create an on-going role between the end-user and the operator that can be used for any number of different functions. This project was a real test for the capacities of the SIM and OTA technology due to the sheer volume of cards involved and the amount of data to download. We are delighted with the results, which brought tangible value to STC."

Notes to Editor
1 - S@T - SIM Application Toolbox - The SIMAlliance interoperable standard fully endorsed by the industry.

About ALJAWAL & Saudi Telecom Company "STC"
ALJAWAL is the GSM business unit of Saudi Telecom with over 7.7 million customers on both post paid and prepaid. Saudi Telecom since its establishment in 1998, has delivered a range of positive results that have delivered a better service to more customers. This has been achieved through an ambitious Transformation & Restructuring Program combined with an extensive expansion of network and infrastructure.

By the end of 2002, the Saudi Government announced that 30% of Saudi Telecom Shares will be released for sale to Saudi citizens & organizations; Saudi citizens (20%), General Organization of Social Insurance (GOSI) (5%), and Pension Fund Organization (5%). By the end of the subscription period, requests for shares exceeded the number offered by 3.5 times which reflects the level of confident of Saudi Telecom's success and trusts in its future. www.stc.com.sa

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 2002: Gartner-Dataquest, Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor.) It has the largest R&D team, unrivalled experience, and an outstanding track record of technological innovation. 

Gemplus helps its clients offer an exceptional range of portable, personalized solutions that bring security and convenience to people's lives. These include Mobile Telecommunications, Public Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Identity, WLAN, Pay-TV, e-government, access control, and a wealth of other applications. 

Gemplus' revenue in 2003 was 749 million Euros.

www.gemplus.com

For more information

Jane Strachey
Telecom PR Manager, Gemplus
Tel: +33 (0)4 42 36 46 61 / Mobile +33 (0)6 76 49 35 93
Email: jane.strachey@gemplus.com

Vanessa Clarke
Account Director, Edelman
Tel: +44 (0)20 7344 1349 / Mobile +44 (0)7730 989 698
Vanessa.Clarke@edelman.com

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