AMSTERDAM, Netherlands–Axalto, the world’s leader in microprocessor cards, has announced the launch of a pilot project developed alongside Bouygues Telecom to validate the concept of purchasing travelcards online and using them in contactless mode via an i-mode(TM) multimedia mobile phone. The pilot will be operational by mid November with ten phones tested in situ by Ratp agents in the Paris metro. Axalto and Bouygues Telecom propose a solution enabling commuters to pass through metro barriers with their mobile phone, whereby the objective is to provide the same quality of service as existing contactless travelcards.

During the first half of 2006, Bouygues Telecom’s customers will be able to test this new solution and use their handset as a travel pass. They will also be able to renew their travelcards online at any time from their mobile phone by connecting to the Ratp server via an i-mode(TM) site, with the security guaranteed by both the SIM card and the specifications of the Navigo passes. Such technological progress offers users greater comfort and a considerable time saving in Parisians’ everyday life.

Phones integrating this feature are equipped with an antenna and an “enhanced Near Field Communication” (eNFC) component for contactless communications. The travelcard contained in the Navigo application on the subscribers’ SIM card cannot be read nor used without their knowledge, since end-to-end security is guaranteed for the transaction by the Navigo specification. Another innovation is that even if the battery of the phone is flat, the solution still works thanks to the Axalto contactless technology.

“Bouygues Telecom continues to break new ground to provide its customers with simple and useful services,” said Laurent Jullien, contactless projects director at Bouygues Telecom. “We are convinced that combining mobile communications with contactless technology will enable us to offer our customers countless services that will prove to be a real asset in their everyday lives.”

“Mobile phones have become an essential part of our daily life. This extremely innovative application perfectly illustrates the trend by giving Parisians easier access to public transport,” added Cedric Collomb, director of mobile communications at Axalto. “The solution proposed by Axalto and Bouygues Telecom minimizes the developments required to integrate the contactless technology into the handset, which therefore paves the way to deploying this type of highly practical applications for commuters. Axalto is actively working with several manufacturers to ensure that these handsets will be available in the very near future”.

About Axalto Axalto is the world’s leading provider of microprocessor cards (Gartner 2005, Frost & Sullivan 2004) – the key to digital networks – and a major supplier of point-of-sale terminals. Its 4500 employees come from over 65 nationalities and serve customers in more than 100 countries, with worldwide sales exceeding 3 billion smart cards to date. The company has 25 years’ experience in smart card innovation and leads its industry in security technology and open systems.

Axalto continuously creates new generations of products for use in a variety of applications in the telecommunications, finance, retail, transport, entertainment, healthcare, personal identification, information technology and public sector markets. Microprocessor cards provide convenience, security and privacy to public and private services operators, their customers and end users. www.axalto.com

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