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Press Release |
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VeriSign® and Gemplus To Deliver Secure SIM-Based
Authentication Solution
Joint Strong Authentication Services Provide Carriers with a Secure
Platform to Enable Communication, Commerce and Content Sharing
CANNES, FRANCE, LUXEMBOURG, and SAN FRANCISCO, CA., — 3GSM
World Congress and RSA Conference 2005 — February 14, 2005 — VeriSign,
Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading provider of intelligent infrastructure
services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, and Gemplus
International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP),
the world's leading provider of smart card solutions, today announced
a new SIM-based authentication solution for wireless carriers. This
new solution provides wireless carriers with a scalable, open standards-based
strong authentication solution that gives their customers the ability
to conduct remote transactions with confidence and ease.
The SIM-based authentication solution utilizes the
VeriSign® Unified Authentication platform and GemXplore ‘Xpresso Java
CardTM SIMs from Gemplus. This joint offer is advantageous to service
providers as it is quick to deploy and offers excellent time-to-market
availability. There is no password to remember for the end-user,
which makes it easy to use with no compromise in security.
VeriSign Unified Authentication is a single, integrated
platform for provisioning and managing all types of two-factor authentication
credentials. VeriSign Unified Authentication reduces the cost and complexity
of strong authentication by integrating with an enterprise’s existing
IT infrastructure, including leading directory and application servers,
thus eliminating the need for additional hardware and software on a
corporate IT network1. Both VeriSign and Gemplus are operating
according to standards set forth by the Initiative for Open AuTHentication,
(OATH).
"Today’s authentication solutions are proprietary,
expensive to scale and do not support multiple forms of authentication.
This inhibits carriers from offering new services to subscribers and
ultimately generating new revenue,” said Vernon Irvin, executive vice
president, VeriSign Communications Sevices. "The combined security
expertise from both VeriSign and Gemplus provides an end-to-end security
solution from the infrastructure level to the token level providing
carriers with a service that is highly scalable and flexible, while
cost-effective and easy to deploy."
The VeriSign and Gemplus SIM Authentication Solution
supports several types of authentication options including One Time
Password (OTP) and Digital Certificates, stored within the SIM.
Service features are:
- SIM Issuance
The SIM is enabled with an OTP applet to transform a standard handset
into a secure authentication token
- Activation Service
An Over The Air (OTA) mechanism is implemented to activate the service
in the SIM, thus facilitating solution deployment
- Validation Service
The validation server processes authentication requests before granting
access to the corporate Intranet or the e-banking service
- Remote Administration Service
The OTA Channel is used to remotely manage user rights and OTP parameters
“The SIM is already widely recognized as a secure
and strategic element of an operator’s mobile network. This initiative
enables us to bring the same level of security and confidence, through
SIM-based strong authentication, to the enterprise as well as provide
a value-added service for the end user,” said Philippe Vallée, executive
vice president, Telecom Business Unit, Gemplus. “We are pleased to work
with VeriSign to offer carriers a comprehensive solution that takes
advantage of the best that both companies have to offer.”
The VeriSign and Gemplus SIM-Based Authentication
solution will be available in the second half of 2005. The solution
will be available in all 3GSM markets.
Visit the VeriSign (Hall 2, D49) or Gemplus booths
(Hall 1, B19) at 3GSM World Congress, 14-17 February 2005, for a demonstration
of the SIM-based strong authentication solution.
1 - VeriSign is announcing a series of enhancements
to VeriSign Unified Authentication at RSA Conference 2005. For
more information, please visit: http://www.verisign.com/products-services/security-services/unified-authentication/index.html
About VeriSign
VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), operates intelligent infrastructure
services that enable
businesses and individuals to find, connect, secure,
and transact across today’s complex, global networks. Additional news
and information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com/.
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 (2004),
Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor.) It has sold over 5 billion smart
cards.
With security at its core, and 2400 patents 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. http://www.gemplus.com
For more information, contact:
VeriSign Media Relations: Leslie Rubin, lrubin@verisign.com,
+ 1 650-426-5363
VeriSign Investor Relations: Tom McCallum, tmccallum@verisign.com,
+ 1 650-426-3477
Gemplus Press Relations: Jane Strachey, jane.strachey@gemplus.com,
+33 (0)442364661
Statements in this announcement other than historical
data and information constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements involve risks
and uncertainties that could cause VeriSign's actual results to differ
materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements.
The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, the uncertainty
of future revenue and profitability and potential fluctuations in quarterly
operating results due to such factors as the risk that VeriSign's announced
strategic relationships, including the relationship described herein,
may not result in additional products, services, customers, profits
or revenues; and increased competition and pricing pressures. More information
about potential factors that could affect the company's business and
financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities
and Exchange Commission, including in the company's Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 and quarterly reports
on Form 10-Q. VeriSign undertakes no obligation to update any of the
forward-looking statements after the date of this press release.
©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.
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