Gemalto increases its investment in Netsize, a leading mobile communications service and commerce enabler

Gemalto increases its investment in Netsize, a leading mobile communications service and commerce enabler

Amsterdam – Jan 5, 2010 – Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 – GTO), the world leader in digital security, today confirmed that it has subscribed to a capital increase in Netsize, with an option to potentially acquire the company outright at a later date. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Netsize offers mobile payment solutions based on operator billing (through premium SMS, MMS and WAP for example) for 100 mobile operators in 28 countries, reaching over 1 billion billable subscribers worldwide, and provides mobile messaging, with SMS and MMS delivery to over 200 countries.

Netsize was founded in 1999 by Stanislas Chesnais, who will remain as CEO. Prior to this capital increase, Gemalto already held 24% of Netsize. Headquartered in Levallois Peret, near Paris, France, Netsize employs approximately 180 people. Netsize will continue to operate as a stand-alone company within the Gemalto Group.

Olivier Piou, Chief Executive Officer of Gemalto, stated: “Gemalto invested in Netsize back in 2001 and was the first and largest outside investor in Netsize. It is natural extension of our long term relationship that Gemalto now becomes Netsize’s majority shareholder. Netsize’s mobile payment platform complements our rapidly expanding mobile software and services offering.”

“Netsize has been a pioneer in mobilizing business and commerce” commented Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice President for Telecom at Gemalto. “Netsize’s ‘one click’ mobile payment solution is a key brick in enabling the monetization of mobile phone downloads and app-stores”.

Stanislas Chesnais, Founder and CEO of Netsize, added “Gemalto’s investment will facilitate our expansion into new markets such Latin America, Africa and South East Asia. We look forward to leveraging Gemalto’s digital security technology to make mobile payments even more pervasive and convenient”.

About Netsize

Netsize is a leading mobile communications and commerce enabler. Netsize solutions include Mobile Messaging, with SMS and MMS delivery in 200 countries; Mobile Payment through operator-based billing (Premium SMS, MMS and WAP) in 28 countries; and Mobile Content Management platforms with publishing & editing tools to manage messaging services and mobile Internet portals. Netsize manages more than 60 million mobile transactions per month for 800 customers worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies. With 180 employees in 10 offices worldwide, Netsize provides both robust technical infrastructure and marketing expertise to support this successful deployment on a global scale.

For more information about Netsize please visit http://www.netsize.com

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries.

Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work–anytime, anywhere–has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.

Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.

As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.

For more information please visit http://www.gemalto.com.

Contacts

Investors Relations
Vincent BIRAUD
M.: +33 (0) 6 08 48 33 23
vincent.biraud@gemalto.com

Corporate Communication
Rémi CALVET
M.: +33(0) 6 22 72 81 58
remi.calvet@gemalto.com