Leuven – Belgium, March 8 2005 – Option N.V. (Euronext: OPTI, OPIN.BR), the wireless technology company, today announced that ONE GmbH, serving more than 1,5 million customers, has selected Option’s GlobeTrotter FUSION™, including GlobeTrotter Mobility Manager TM, as innovative wireless broadband data solution for its mobile users.
ONE, which covers 98% of the population, is offering GPRS, UMTS and WLAN services to its customers. ONE is member of the Starmap Mobile Alliance (www.starmapalliance.com) which is helping the company to improve its position in the Austrian market through giving all customers access to excellent services when being abroad and offering a network of partners where customers feel like at home. Turnover end of 2004 reached 705 million Euro’s with investments of up to 1.81 billion Euro’s. Shareholders include German E.ON (50.10%) Norway’s Telenor (17.45%) Orange, France (17.45%) and Denmark’s TDC (15%)
In selecting Option’s GlobeTrotter FUSION TM and Option’s Mobility Manager ONE can now offer its mobile users a single data card that gives them access to the 3G/UMTS and GPRS networks and their Wi-Fi hotspot network. This solution from Option gives ONE the opportunity to differentiate itself in a highly competitive Austrian market. ONE’s choice for Option was inspired by Option’s customer driven approach and its European centric operations.
On a 3G network the GlobeTrotter FUSION™ enables broadband connection to the internet at data speeds of up to 384kbps. Move into a range of public Wi-Fi hotspot, the corporate WLAN or your home wireless network and the GlobeTrotter FUSION™ provides connection at speeds up to 54Mbps. In areas where 3G/UMTS or Wi-Fi services are not available GlobeTrotter FUSION™ still ensures reliable and secure data connection over the widely available GPRS services. Option’s GlobeTrotter Mobility Manager™ software enables users of the card to have fast, simple and easy access to wireless data whilst hiding from the user the complexity of underlying wireless 3G/UMTS, GPRS and WLAN technologies.
For more information please contact:
Douglas Ros, Vice President Business Development & Marketing
Tel +32 (0)16 317 411
E-mail: d.ros@option.com
Frederic Convent, CFO and General Counsel
Tel + 32 (0) 16 317 411
E-mail: investor@option.com
About Option
Option NV (www.option.com), the wireless technology company, is a leading innovator in the design, development and manufacture of 3G WCDMA (HSDPA and UMTS), EDGE, GPRS, GSM and WLAN technology products for wireless connectivity solutions. Option has built up an enviable reputation for creating exciting products that enhance the performance and functionality of wireless communications. Option’s headquarters are in Leuven (Belgium). The company has an office in Atlanta (US), Research & Development in Leuven, a Software and Applications development centre in Adelsried (Germany), and an ISO 9002 production engineering and logistics facility in Cork (Ireland).
ONE facts & figures
In October 1998, the communications company ONE (ONE GmbH) launched Austria’s only nation-wide GSM-1800 mobile telephony network. At the end of December 2004 ONE had about 900 employees and more than 1.5 million mobile customers. ONE is the only mobile telephony operator in Austria to offer HSCSD (ONE High Speed), GPRS and UMTS. On 1 July 2003, with ONE WLAN the company launched ONE WLAN and the most dense hotspot network in all of Austria from one provider. ONE places its focus on service, product development and usability, and with ONE SMILE it offers its customers an innovative and easy to use interface. ONE has a population coverage of 98% as well as a banking licence for its 100% subsidiary ONE bank GmbH, the basis of its mobile payment applications. Turnover in 2004 amounted to € 705 million. By the end of 2004, the company had invested a total of € 1.81 billion. ONE is owned by the German E.ON (50.10%), the Norwegian Telenor (17.45%), the French Orange (17.45%) and the Danish TDC (15%).
In case of questions, journalists please contact:
ONE, Florian Pollack, Tel: 0699-1699 2640, E-Mail: florian.pollack@one.at
For this press text and other press information, please refer to: www.one.at/presse/