PARIS, November 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Oberthur Technologies, the world's second largest supplier of smart card solutions, successfully completed the deployment of its M-Commerce security solution for Zain's 15 sub Saharan African operations. Zain's Mobile Commerce solution, Zap, is a state-of-the-art SIM security application and security gateway which enables Zain customers to use their mobile phone to securely pay bills and to pay for goods and services.

The service currently allows Zain customers in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda through their mobile phones to receive and send money to friends and family as well as to receive money from any bank account around the world and send money to other bank accounts. They can also top up their own, or someone else's, airtime account and manage their bank accounts. Over 100 million people in East Africa can now benefit from Zap. The service which will be rolled out soon in all Zain's operation across the Middle East and Africa, has a potential customer base of 600 million people, many of whom have never had access to formal financial services.

"For any market in the world, the combination of services we are providing through Zap mobile commerce would be exciting," declared Dr Saad Al Barrak CEO of Zain, "but when set in an African context, the implications are especially profound given the critical economic needs of many Africans living the countries in which Zain operates. In this sense, what we deliver contributes to more than just a healthy bottom line; it genuinely helps improve lives."

"We selected Oberthur Technologies as our security solutions partner because of the company's' proven leadership in the field of mobile smart card and security solutions, their global support for our offer, and the desire of the team to take the initial first steps to innovate technologically advanced and customized solutions to meet Zain's ground-breaking service offering," stated George Held, Marketing Director, Products and Innovation Zain Group.

Thierry Siminger, Managing Director RMEA for the Card Systems Division of Oberthur Technologies commented, "This partnership has enabled the two innovative leaders, Oberthur and Zain, to raise the bar for future m-commerce solutions. Our successful partnership goes back many years and continues to grow from strength to strength."

About Zain

Zain is a leading telecommunications operator across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to 69.5 million active customers as at 30 June 2009. In terms of country footprint, Zain is the 3rd largest mobile operator in the world with a commercial presence in 24 countries.

Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Palestine (currently known as Paltel Group), Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages 'mtc-touch' on behalf of the government. In Morocco, Zain owns 31% of Wana Telecom through a joint venture.

Zain offers innovative services in its markets such as 'One Network', the world's first borderless mobile telecommunications network enabling customers when abroad to receive calls and sms without charge and to make voice and data calls at local rates throughout 20 countries in Africa and the Middle East. This service allows a customer to top up airtime in one's home country or from more than 1,000,000 outlets within Zain's One Network footprint.

The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (Stock ticker: ZAIN). Zain is listed in the Financial Times' Global 500 Index which ranks the world's largest companies based on market capitalization ( http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008). Zain aims to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by end of the year 2011. For more, please visit http://www.zain.com or email info@zain.com

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882 million Euros in 2008, Oberthur Technologies is a world leader in the field of secure technologies. Innovation and high quality services ensure Oberthur Technologies' strong positioning in its main target markets:

    - Card Systems: The world's second largest provider of security
      and identification based on smart card technology and associated
      services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence
      markets.
    - Identity: Leading international supplier for the manufacture and
      personalization of secure identity documents such as passport, identity
      card, driving license or health care card - traditional and electronic
      - and associated services for both governmental and corporate markets.
    - Security printing: World's third largest private security printer
      specialized in high security for the production of banknotes, checks
      and other fiduciary documents in more than fifty countries.
    - Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of
      intelligent systems to secure cash-in-transit and ATM.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents.

Oberthur Technologies S.A. is a limited liability company (societe anonyme) registered in France with its registered office at 50 quai Michelet 92 532 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.'s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

Website: http://www.oberthur.com

SOURCE Oberthur Technologies

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