Microsoft and Gemalto Partner to Bring Windows Live Messenger to the Mass Market of Mobile Subscribers

BARCELONA, Spain--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Microsoft Corp. and Gemalto today announced they are collaborating to offer Windows Live Messenger services to the mass market of mobile subscribers through a new Windows Live Messenger client application that comes pre-installed on phone Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards. The Gemalto application, named SIMessenger, is the world’s first Microsoft-certified instant messaging SIM client solution.

“Through our alliance with Gemalto, we are able to greatly expand the reach of the Windows Live Messenger experience on mobile to new markets and more consumers”

Gemalto’s SIMessenger enables users to easily keep in touch with their Windows Live Messenger contacts from their mobile phone. SIMessenger offers an intuitive menu that allows subscribers to access their Windows Live Messenger environment with an experience similar to what they get when accessing it from a PC. SIMessenger also automatically launches when they switch their handset on, so they can start chatting immediately.

SIMessenger’s user-friendly interface enables quick and easy navigation, so that users retrieve the messaging service they are familiar with while on the move. To date, three operators have successfully deployed SIMessenger: Oi in Brazil, Personal S.A. in Argentina and Movistar in Peru. Gemalto has already delivered close to 5 million SIM cards embedding the Windows Live instant messaging application.

“Through our alliance with Gemalto, we are able to greatly expand the reach of the Windows Live Messenger experience on mobile to new markets and more consumers,” said Tom Bailey, senior director of product management for Windows Live for Mobile services. “SIMessenger will enable the masses to easily use the popular Windows Live Messenger to communicate with the people they care about while on the go.”

“Worldwide, people who own a mobile phone widely outnumber those who have Internet access,” added Philippe Vallée, executive vice president of the Telecommunications Business Unit at Gemalto. “With more than 320 million active Windows Live Messenger accounts worldwide, combined with 3.6 billion SIM cards currently in use, there is strong growth potential for SIMessenger, and Gemalto is proud to join forces with Microsoft to make messaging available to all.”

About Windows Live
More than 500 million customers around the world rely on Windows Live for sharing e-mail, messaging, photos and files within their networks of friends, family, business associates and more. With localized versions being made available globally in 54 countries and 48 languages by early 2009, the next generation of Windows Live brings enhanced tools to make online activities easier, more integrated and more intuitive. The new Windows Live experience is also enhanced by partnerships — with feeds from third-party sites that enable users to stay up to date on what’s new with friends and family and see information from other online services such as Flickr, LinkedIn and Pandora — all in a single set of services where they already spend time every day. Over the coming weeks, the next generation of Windows Live will become available at http://www.windowslive.com.

About Gemalto
Gemalto (Euronext NL 0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2008 annual revenues of €1.68 billion, and 10,000 employees operating out of 75 offices, research and service centers in 40 countries.
Gemalto is at the heart of our evolving digital society. The freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain, and work—anytime, anywhere—has become an integral part of what people want and expect, in ways that are convenient, enjoyable and secure.
Gemalto delivers on the growing demands of billions of people worldwide for mobile connectivity, identity and data protection, credit card safety, health and transportation services, e-government and national security. We do this by supplying to governments, wireless operators, banks and enterprises a wide range of secure personal devices, such as subscriber identification modules (SIM) in mobile phones, smart banking cards, electronic passports, and USB tokens for online identity protection. To complete the solution we also provide software, systems and services to help our customers achieve their goals.
As the use of Gemalto’s software and secure devices increases with the number of people interacting in the digital and wireless world, the company is poised to thrive over the coming years.
For more information please visit www.gemalto.com.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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