Leuven – Belgium, November 18, 2005 – Option N.V. (Euronext: OPTI, OTC: OPNVY), the wireless technology company, today announced that it has won the prestigious ‘Golden Bridge Award’ awarded annually by the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce to the Belgian/Luxembourg company rated highest for its achievements in exporting to the United Kingdom. The result was announced by H.E. Baron Thierry de Gruben, Ambassador of the King of the Belgians in Great Britain during a Gala Diner in London on 17th November.
Chairman of the Belgian-Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce, Michel Vanhoonacker, said: “The quality of the finalists was exceptionally good and the jury had an extremely difficult task to choose a winner between winners. Eventually, Option was the favourite due to its extraordinary journey in the last 20 year and the persistence of its founder and CEO Jan Callewaert who believed in his business model despite several setbacks. We can be proud of our Belgian companies.”
Jan Callewaert, CEO Option, comments: “We are honoured to win this Award and we thank our customers in the UK for making this happen. The Award underscores the tremendous growth we achieved in the UK in the past years. The UK is a key market for us and it still shows great growth opportunities for Option. We will relentlessly focus on our customers to give them the best possible wireless data solutions.”
The Company’s current UK customers include Network Operators such as BT, Orange, T-Mobile and Vodafone and various Value Added Resellers. The Company plans to further increase its footprint in the British market with the addition of new products.
Finalists for the ‘Golden Bridge Award’ also included Clarysse, Jaga, Loveld, Pastridor and Spiromatic.
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), a wireless router development centre in Stockholm (Sweden) and an ISO 9002 production engineering and logistics facility in Cork, Ireland.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Belgian-Luxemburg Chamber of Commerce
Michel Vanhoonacker, Chairman
Tel +44 870 246 1610
Mobile +44 7940 574 635
Riverside House, 27/29 Vauxhall Grove – London SW8 1SY
Douglas Ros, Vice President Business Development & Marketing Option
Tel +32 (0)16 317 411
E-mail: d.ros@option.com
Frederic Convent, CFO Option
Tel + 32 (0) 16 317 411
E-mail: investor@option.com