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VimpelCom Russia Selects Gemplus and Celltick for Value Added Services
LUXEMBOURG, June 21 /PRNewswire/ --
- Gemplus and Celltick Deploy SIM-Based Cell Broadcast Applications for
Commercial Launch of VimpelCom's 'Chameleon' Service
Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and
NASDAQ: GEMP), the world's leading provider of smart card based solutions,
and Celltick Technologies Ltd., the market leader in idle-screen applications
and interactive mobile broadcast, have been selected by VimpelCom, Russia's
second largest mobile network operator, for the commercial launch of its new
"Chameleon" broadcast application.
Chameleon sends content teasers - from news headlines to sport updates
and games - direct to the subscriber's handset while it is in idle mode. If
the subscriber wants more information, they only have to click once. The
service is based on Celltick's cell broadcast technology, incorporated into a
Gemplus SIM card and a SIM ToolKit application called BeeInfo.
The first stage of the deal includes licences for two million users. This
follows VimpelCom's successful pilot deployment of 2000 SIM cards in the
summer of 2004. Victor Markelov, Products Director at Vimpelcom, said,
"Deploying value added services through the SIM card makes it easy for us to
update information and maintain a regular communication channel with our
subscribers. We were pleased with the high penetration rates of the trial
which showed that the service was easy to use and relevant to our customers'
wishes."
"This is a classic example of the SIM creating value for the operator.
VimpelCom has understood the role that the SIM can play in enhancing the
mobile experience of each subscriber," said Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice
President, Telecom Business Unit, Gemplus. "This is also proof of the value
of Gemplus' SIMXplore programme and how we, by teaming up with leading
service providers such as Celltick, can offer a better service to our
clients."
"We are delighted to partner with VimpelCom in turning its live screens
vision into reality," says Yossi Wellingstein, Celltick's CEO. "Our joint
solution with Gemplus places VimpelCom at the forefront of mobile innovation
and gives it a substantial edge in the mobile service market. Celltick has
dedicated many talents and resources to making this service a success and we
have no doubt that VimpelCom's subscribers will be extremely happy with the
results."
In April 2005, VimpelCom's subscriber base reached 31.2 million.
(Source: AC&M).
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 (2005), Frost &
Sullivan, Datamonitor). It has sold over 5 billion smart cards.
With security at its core, and 2400 patents and patent applications
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 VimpelCom
VimpelCom is a leading provider of telecommunications services
in Russia and Kazakhstan. The Company operates under the <<Beeline>> brand in
Russia and 'K-mobile' and 'EXCESS' brands in Kazakhstan. The VimpelCom
Group's license portfolio covers approximately 94% of Russia's population
(136 million people), including the City of Moscow, the Moscow Region and the
City of St. Petersburg, as well as the entire territory of Kazakhstan.
VimpelCom was the first Russian company to list its shares on the New York
Stock Exchange ("NYSE"). VimpelCom's ADSs are listed on the NYSE under the
symbol "VIP".
www.beeline.ru
About Celltick
Celltick Technologies is the world leader in idle-screen application and
mobile interactive broadcast. Millions of users around the world already use
the company's products, which allow mobile operators to deliver value added
service to the mass market simply intuitively. The company is headquartered
in London, has an R&D centre in Israel and offices in China, India and
Russia.
www.celltick.com
For more information, please contact:
Jane Strachey Helen Baker
Gemplus PR Edelman PR
Tel: +33-(0)442364661 Tel: +44-(0)20-7344-1285
Jane.strachey@gemplus.com Helen.baker@edelman.com
(c)2005 Gemplus. All rights reserved. Gemplus, 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.
Some of the statements contained in this release constitute
forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events or our
future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our industry's actual
results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially
different from any future results, levels of activities, performance, or
achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual
events or results may differ materially. Although we believe that the
expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we
cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those estimated by the forward-looking statements contained in this
release include, but are not limited to: trends in wireless communication and
mobile commerce markets; our ability to develop new technology, and the
effects of competing technologies developed and expected intense competition
generally in our main markets; profitability of our expansion strategy;
challenges to or loss of our intellectual property rights; our ability to
establish and maintain strategic relationships in our major businesses; our
ability to develop and take advantage of new software and services; and the
effect of future acquisitions and investments on our share price. Moreover,
neither we nor any other person assumes responsibility for the accuracy and
completeness of such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking
statements contained in this release speak only as of this release. We are
under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after this date
to conform such statements to actual results or to reflect the occurrence of
anticipated results.
Gemplus
Jane Strachey, Gemplus PR, Tel: +33-(0)442364661, Jane.strachey@gemplus.com; Helen Baker, Edelman PR, Tel: +44-(0)20-7344-1285, Helen.baker@edelman.com
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