MTN Delivers First Mobile TV Launch in Africa With Gemalto

MTN Delivers First Mobile TV Launch in Africa With Gemalto

CAPE TOWN, October 19/PRNewswire/ --

- Leading African Operator Provides its Subscribers With Quick and Easy
Access to Compelling Service

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), a world leader in digital security,
today announces it has been selected by MTN South Africa for the first-ever
commercial rollout of secure mobile TV on the African continent. MTN South
Africa is part of the MTN Group, a multinational telecommunications group
operating in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle East. The Gemalto package
includes the supply of third-generation cards, as well as consulting services
and project management. Based on the DVB-H technology, the service is
available to all MTN South Africa subscribers, post- and pre-paid.

Under the contract, Gemalto delivered a complete m-TV solution that
allows MTN South Africa to address all categories of subscribers. Willing to
make its innovative services accessible to the great majority, MTN South
Africa aims to offer mobile TV to people who do not own a TV set so that
everyone can watch their favourite program, whenever they want, wherever they
are. Subscription to the service is very simple and users are offered direct
access to TV programs through an easy-to-navigate menu.

The Gemalto cards host the end-user's access rights and protect the
access to the encrypted TV content to ensure the highest levels of security
to the service. The cards allow MTN South Africa to dynamically manage each
subscriber's profile and offer a personalized user interface, thus creating a
highly flexible mobile TV service.

Ashraff Paruk, General Manager, Strategy, Product and
Innovation at MTN, said: ''MTN is delighted to offer the first commercially
available 3G/DVB-H cellphone in the South African market. We are happy that
Gemalto's encryption technology gives MTN a competitive edge in the local
marketplace. Together with our partners we have enabled customers to get
their hands on LIVE TV.''

"MTN South Africa has always been at the forefront of
innovation," added Xavier Chanay, president CIS, Middle East and Africa at
Gemalto. "We are pleased to strengthen MTN's brand exposure through these
pioneering multimedia services."

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is a leader in digital security with
pro forma 2005 annual revenues of EUR1,7 billion ($2.2 billion), operations
in 120 countries and 11,000 employees including 1,500 R&D engineers. The
company's solutions make personal digital interactions secure and easy in a
world where everything of value -from money to entertainment to identities-
is increasingly represented as bits and bytes communicated over networks.

Gemalto thrives on creating and deploying secure platforms, portable and
secure forms of software in highly personal objects like smart cards, SIMs,
e-passports, readers and tokens. More than a billion people worldwide use the
company's products and services for telecommunications, banking,
e-government, identity management, multimedia content, digital rights
management, IT security and other applications. Gemalto was formed in June
2006 by the combination of Axalto and Gemplus International S.A. For more
information please visit www.gemalto.com.

About the MTN Group

Launched in 1994, the MTN Group is a multinational
telecommunications group, operating in 21 countries in Africa and the Middle
East. The MTN Group is listed on the JSE Securities Exchange under the share
code: "MTN". As at 30 June 2006, MTN recorded more than 31 million
subscribers across its operations, including those of the newly acquired
Investcom LLC. In August 2006, the MTN Group launched operations in the
Islamic Republic of Iran following the successful purchase of a 49 percent
shareholding in Irancell.

The MTN Group operates in Botswana, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria,
Republic of Congo (Congo Brazzaville), Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland,
Uganda and Zambia. The acquisition of Investcom adds the following countries
of operation to MTN's portfolio: Afghanistan, Benin, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea
Bissau, Guinea Republic, Liberia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Contacts Gemalto

Gemalto
Aline Borne
T.: +33-1-55-01-51-05
M.: +33-6-16-29-87-04
aline.borne@gemalto.com

Fleishman-Hillard
Odile Bibollet
Tél.: +33-1-47-42-92-82
odile.bibollet@fleishmaneurope.com

Source: Gemalto

Gemalto, Aline Borne, T.: +33-1-55-01-51-05, M.: +33-6-16-29-87-04, aline.borne@gemalto.com;
Fleishman-Hillard, Odile Bibollet, Tél.: +33-1-47-42-92-82, odile.bibollet@fleishmaneurope.com

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