Leuven – Belgium, January 26th 2005 – Option N.V. (Euronext: OPTI, OPIN.BR), the wireless technology company, today announced that Orange France, the leading French mobile telecommunications company has chosen Option’s GlobeTrotter FUSION™ 3G UMTS/GPRS/WLAN data card to further extend their offering of broadband wireless data solutions to the corporate market. Option’s “FUSION” product is marketed and sold under the Orange brand.
Orange France is the French branch of the Orange Group, which consists of 17 countries offering a broad range of voice and data communication services. The Orange Group is part of France Télécom (Euronext and NYSE: FTE) and is a founding member of the FreeMove alliance. Orange France is the n° 1 mobile network operator in the French market. The company’s network covers more than 98% of the people and 89% of the territory.
Jan Callewaert, CEO at Option: “The Orange Group joined the FUSION program last year. Having Orange France as the 1st country from the Orange Group market and sell the GlobeTrotter FUSION™ is exciting news. Seeing the success of this data card across a number of network operators is another proof of Option’s ability to bring the right product at the right time on the market. We will continue to deliver our customers unique wireless technology solutions”.
The Orange Group operates 2.5 G, 3G and Wi-Fi networks. In selecting Option’s GlobeTrotter FUSION™ data card Orange France can provide the corporate market with a fast, simple and secure mobile data solution across all mobile networks.
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 WiFi hotspot, the corporate WLAN or your home wireless network and the GlobeTrotter FUSION™ provides connection at speeds up to 54Mbps. In areas where 3G or WiFi services are not available GlobeTrotter FUSION™ still ensures reliable and secure data connection over the widely available GPRS services.
The GlobeTrotter FUSION™ data card is the latest in the portfolio of Option data card products equipped with in-built EAP-SIM and Smart Card (PCSC) technologies enabling automatic authentication to corporate WLAN and public Wi-Fi services as well as making the operator provided SIM transparently available to third party applications requiring authentication for security or e-commerce transactions.
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 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.
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