Austin, TX, September 22, 2003–Schlumberger Smart Cards & Terminals, a division of Schlumberger, today announced that it has changed its name to Axalto to bring more visibility and reinforce the company image as a leading smart card player in a rapidly evolving market.

For the past 25 years, Axalto teams have led the way in shaping applications, developing solutions and delivering innovative technologies that have made smart cards a part of everyday life. The company is known for being first-to-market with cutting-edge products from the first memory and microprocessor cards to the recent breakthroughs of the java-based microprocessor cards and smart cards that connect directly to the USB port of a personal computer to secure digital transactions and wireless networks.

“As Axalto, we will continue to lead through meeting the challenges of the international marketplace, developing and deploying high-quality products and solutions and making a visible difference to our customers‚ businesses worldwide,” said Olivier Piou, president of Axalto. “Our teams, made up of 56 different nationalities, are committed to excellence–the driver of our performance.”

The division opted for a name that best reflects its smart card and point-of-sale terminal strategy and highlights the key contributions of smart cards in today’s digital age. Axalto combines the concept of secure, personalized access to information and transaction networks with altitude, that symbolizes the company’s strategic vision based on its acute understanding of the market and its evolution, as well as its long track record of being able to provide innovative products and solutions that are tailor-made to meet specific needs.

About Axalto

Axalto, formerly known as Schlumberger Smart Cards & Terminals, is the world’s leading provider of microprocessor cards (Gartner 2003, Frost & Sullivan 2003) “the key to digital networks” and a major supplier of point-of-sale terminals. Its 4500 employees serve customers in more than 100 countries, with worldwide sales exceeding 2.8 billion smart cards to date. The company has more than 20 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. Smart card solutions provide convenience, security and privacy to public and private services operators, their customers and end users. For more information, visit us at http://www.axalto.com.

Contact:

Deb Montner,
Montner & Associates,
203-226-9290,
dmontner@montner.com