AIS updates nearly 8 million subscribers’ SIM cards across all of Thailand in record time thanks to Gemalto’s LinqUs* Over The Air Service

Amsterdam, Bangkok, July 2 2007–Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security, today announces the successful completion of an unprecedented campaign for Advanced Info Service Plc. (AIS), Thailand’s largest mobile operator, to update Over-The-Air (OTA) the information contained in the SIM cards of nearly 8 million AIS subscribers. By updating the cards over the air, there was no need for the operator to mail out replacement cards or ask customers to come into an AIS point of sale. The entire campaign, which otherwise would have taken many months, was completed in less than 40 days. This record deployment time translated into major benefits for AIS, including customer satisfaction, ARPU (Average Revenue Per User) maintenance and cost savings.

The OTA campaign was rolled out on the back of a decision from the National Telecommunication Commission (NTC) in Thailand to shift from a 9-digit, to a 10-digit dialing system so as to meet the telecommunications needs of the country for the next 30 years. A deadline of three months was set for all mobile operators to address the replacement or updating of the SIM cards for their subscriber base, without which subscribers would have become unable to use the very popular SMS (Short Message Service).

Continuing the strong revenue and profit generating SMS service after the cut-off date from the NTC meant that AIS needed to change the SMS Centre address in all its subscribers SIM cards. Updating the SIM cards over-the-air and without consumer intervention meant big savings for AIS in cost, time and resources it would ordinarily have needed to spend in updating or replacing cards physically at AIS point of sales. It also guaranteed maintenance of their ARPU as subscribers were able to continue to use the SMS service after the cut-off date without interruption. Being seamless in operation, subscribers did not notice the change taking place and were spared any frustration.

“After careful consideration of deployment costs, potential impact on ARPU from our SMS service, and customer satisfaction, we selected Gemalto’s OTA solution which we felt could help us reach out to a significant proportion of our customer base within a very short time frame,” said Mr. Pornsak Hanvoravongchai, AIS SIM technology manager.

“Operators are reluctant to ask customers to come into the shop just to update their SIM card,” added Dr Martin McCourt, President, South Asia, Gemalto. “In addition to the annoyance factor, there is the risk that subscribers might choose to churn to another operator at that point. Using Gemalto’s advanced LinqUs over-the-air service we were able to update all AIS’ cards without customers even noticing. As displayed by AIS, SIM cards are a valuable active asset for operators especially when coupled together with a central OTA administration platform. AIS has shown that this combination is the perfect way to massively update populations of SIM cards at record speeds of up to 1.5 million subscribers per day, irrespective of the mobile phone used.

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is a leader in digital security with pro forma 2006 annual revenues of €1.7 billion, operations in about 100 countries and more than 10,000 employees including 1,500 R&D engineers.

In a world where the digital revolution is increasingly transforming our lives, Gemalto’s solutions are designed to make personal digital interactions more convenient, secure and enjoyable.
Gemalto provides end-to-end digital security solutions, from the development of software applications through design and production of secure personal devices such as smart cards, SIMs, e-passports, and tokens to the management of deployment services for its customers.
More than a billion people worldwide use the company’s products and services for telecommunications, financial services, e-government, identity management, multimedia content, digital rights management, IT security, mass transit and many other applications.

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. Gemalto was formed in June 2006 by the combination of Axalto and Gemplus. For more information please visit http://www.gemalto.com.

*Mark of Gemalto

About Advanced Info Service Plc (AIS)

Advanced Info Service Public Company Limited or AIS is an affiliation of Shin Corporation, under the business segment of Wireless Communications.
AIS was established in 1989 as the first mobile phone service operator in the 900 MHz frequency range utilizing Digital GSM systems, and is today the largest mobile operator serving more than 20 million subscriber nationwide. AIS has expanded continuously through its subsidiaries into a broader range of wireless communications services including import and distribution of SIM card and handsets, data communication service, broadband TV, mobile payment, call center and international telephony service.
AIS’ mission is to deliver superior services that can be part of people daily life. It is aimed to maintain our dominance in market share of revenue and net profit growth, to enhanced value for our stakeholders and to dedicate continuously to Corporate Social Responsibility.

For more information please visit http://www.ais.co.th/thai/intro_yellow.htm.

Contact

Marcos Fernandes
Tel : 852 6051 6425
Mob : 86 135 0126 8613
marcos.fernandes@gemalto.com