Gemplus renews USIM cards agreement with Cingular

July 12, 2005

Gemplus International announces that it renewed its multi-year supply agreement with Cingular Wireless, the wireless carrier in the United States, for Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards and was selected as one of Cingular's primary suppliers of Universal SIM (USIM) cards. Cingular is currently using Gemplus's SIM cards for Enhanced Network Selection and advanced data services for its GSM subscribers.

"(U)SIM cards are an integral part of our strategy to improve the customer experience," said Scott McElroy, executive director of technology, Cingular Wireless. "(U)SIMs provide the high level of security that we need as the largest U.S. wireless provider and bring our customers a richer phonebook and service continuity at home and abroad, from handset-to-handset, and in their migration to 3G."

More than 75 million North Americans use SIM cards today. This number is expected to increase significantly over the next few years as more and more operators continue to migrate their subscribers to SIM cards. The (U)SIM card authenticates and identifies individual subscribers onto the wireless network and lets wireless carriers have a one-to-one relationship with subscribers. (U)SIM cards enable subscribers to freely carry their subscription and personal information from phone to phone, which has contributed to the global success of GSM.

"Gemplus is pleased to support Cingular as it develops 3G services in the U.S.A. and will continue to build on a strong relationship based on service quality," said Ernie Berger, President of Gemplus North America. "We will continue to work closely with Cingular to optimize the value of (U)SIM cards for their migration to 3G."