Gemplus and China East Port Technology to jointly develop network security smart card solutions

Luxembourg and Beijing, 19 May 2005 - Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP), the world's leading provider of smart card solutions, announced today it has reached an agreement with East Port Technology Co., Ltd. (East Port), the founder of China Custom's Electronic Port Platform, to jointly explore business opportunities in China's e-government market for smart card-based network security applications. These will provide first-class, secure information and e-services for government and Chinese enterprises.

Mr. Wang Xiao Ding, president of East Port Technology, said: "E-government plays a very important role in the development of Chinese politics and the economy, and is becoming more specialized, international and commercial. We believe that, through cooperation with Gemplus, we can create higher quality, more secure products and solutions for China's growing e-government market."

Mr. Jacques Seneca, Executive Vice President, Identity and Security Business Unit, Gemplus, said: "China's e-government market is expanding rapidly and has a tremendously bright future. Cooperation between Gemplus and East Port demonstrates that Gemplus has entered the mainstream of China's e-government market. Together with our partners, Gemplus will fully leverage our global experience to advance technological innovation and application security in the smart card market in China."

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 (2004), Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor.). It has sold over 5 billion smart cards.

With security at its core, and 2400 patents produced by its innovative R&D team, Gemplus delivers a wide range of portable, personalized 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 

About East Port Technology

East Port Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech Chinese enterprise founded by the China E-Port Information Data Center, China Telecom Group and CITIC Group. East Port's businesses include e-government and e-business, security services, mobile business solutions, ERP consulting, online payment and logistics "informatization" services. East Port is responsible for the development and operation of China E-Port platform, a cross-industry, cross-region and cross-department platform, which is core to the national economic development, and devotes itself to development of advanced application software. It also provides a broad range of IT application consulting and outsourcing services. 
www.chinaport.gov.cn

For more information

Gemplus PR
Jane Strachey
Tel: +(0)442364661
e-mail: jane.strachey@gemplus.com

Edelman PR 
Frédéric Boullard
Tel: +(0)156697395
e-mail: frederic.boullard@edelman.com

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