Gemalto powers the launch of the UK’s first 4G mobile network

Gemalto powers the launch of the UK’s first 4G mobile network

  • EE launched its 4G mobile network complemented by fiber broadband in October 2012
  • EE leveraged Gemalto software, capacity, planning and program management expertise for rapid launch
  • EE to offer 4G services to customers in 35 towns and cities by the end of the first quarter of 2013
  • Population coverage to reach 98% by end of 2014

Amsterdam, Jan 23, 2013–Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, announces that it is delivering its UpTeq LTE SIM and embedded software applications to EE, the UK’s most advanced communications company, powering the launch of the UK’s first 4G mobile network.

EE, the joint venture between France Telecom and Deutsche Telekom in the UK, is the first mobile operator in the UK to launch 4G, which is available on the company’s EE brand. EE’s 4G service is already live in 18 cities and towns across the UK, with 17 more planned by the end of March 2013, and 98% of the UK population is scheduled to be covered by the end of 2014.

In this first large-scale LTE deployment in Europe, Gemalto’s UpTeq LTE plays a key role in helping EE meet the commercial and technical challenges of 4G. The high-end software package included in the SIM card is compliant with the latest industry standards, and embedded for EE in both Micro SIM Plus and nano SIM (4FF) formats.

4G technology allows consumers to experience “blinding speed” mobile interactions, thanks to short response times (low latency), and loading speed up to five times faster than 3G. Customers can thus experience the full potential of their mobile devices when browsing the internet, and securely enjoy data-rich services such as high definition video, live TV, music and multi-user gaming.

“Gemalto was able to meet our very challenging requirements in terms of planning, capacity and overall program delivery,” commented Simon Frumkin, VP of Procurement and Supply Chain at EE. “Gemalto moreover demonstrated the technical expertise required to assist EE in defining its services precisely, and in implementing quickly the card software functionalities as well as the back-end applications.”

“Through the support of Gemalto EE enjoys immediate access to all the knowledge and expertise acquired in our recent high profile deployments in Japan and the US,” added Philippe Vrignaud, senior vice-president of telecommunications at Gemalto. ”EE is leading the introduction of LTE in the UK, and the Gemalto UpTeq LTE front-end and back-end software technologies allows them to rapidly leverage the full potential of LTE networks(1).”

(1) USIM for standard network access, ISIM for IMS network access and RoHTTP to support application deployment within the Global Platform standard.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2011 annual revenues of €2 billion and more than 10,000 employees operating out of 74 offices and 14 Research & Development centers, located in 43 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work – anytime, everywhere – in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.

Gemalto develops secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these secure products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services they enable. Our innovations enable our clients to offer trusted and convenient digital services to billions of individuals.

Gemalto thrives with the growing number of people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world.

For more information visit http://www.gemalto.com, http://www.justaskgemalto.com, http://blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

Gemalto Media Contacts

Peggy Edoire
Europe, Middle East & Africa
+33 4 42 36 45 40
peggy.edoire@gemalto.com

Nicole Smith
North America
+1 512 257 3902
nicole.smith@gemalto.com

Yvonne Lim
Asia Pacific
+65 6317 3730
Yvonne.lim@gemalto.com

Ernesto Haikewitsch
Latin America
+55 11 5105 9220
ernesto.haikewitsch@gemalto.com