STRATEGIC PARTNERS
February 21, 2002
Alcatel, Gemplus, and Mondex International announced they will work together to develop a global satellite (GSM) phone which can be used as a Mondex electronic cash loading device.
Customers will be able to withdraw funds from their bank accounts onto their Mondex electronic cash cards by inserting them into a general purpose smart card slot attached to a GSM phone.
The new technology consists of adding a general purpose card-reading device to a GSM handset together with the right communication capabilities. This will allow mobile network operators and on-line merchants to provide generic smart card-based services to customers on the move.
The technology will transform the GSM handset into a mobile, secure, personal ATM. This groundbreaking service has been made possible by the first implementation of the latest ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) standard which addresses the communications requirements for additional smart card readers.
Alcatel and Gemplus have designed a card-reading cradle which includes Gemplus' GemCore, a card interface chipset that has been adapted for handheld devices.
Alcatel, the world's fourth largest GSM phone manufacturer, provides with this first pocket ATM a clear pathway into the mobile e-commerce age. Based on a light smart card reader accessory for the new "One Touch Pocket" handset, this solution delivers the functionality of a traditional ATM to GSM consumers.
"We are very excited by the potential of this technology and see the mobile phone as a key delivery channel for our customers. Increasingly,
people want access to their money anytime, anywhere and the combination of Mondex with GSM mobility meets this very real consumer demand."
