Oberthur Technologies and Comex Electronics Sign a Partnership Agreement

PARIS - Oberthur Technologies SA and Comex Electronics AB have agreed to a strategic partnership that will boost companies’ business activities in the growing market of authentication and logon systems with smart card solutions. Oberthur will provide world leading products and services in smart cards and Comex will include Oberthur Technologies products and services in their solutions with card readers and smart cards.

“We see this partnership as a very strategic channel for providing security for authentication and logon solutions up to the highest level of security criteria’s in the world. For example Comex is very excited about Oberthur Technologies validated fingerprint comparison technology embedded on smart card chip like the ID-ONE COSMO(TM). It provides a very secure way of authenticating the card holder with exceptional performances in terms of interoperability, accuracy and speed, while maintaining an error rate lower than the defined thresholds. Oberthur is enthusiastic about integrating with the Comex BioSec Reader(TM)” says Curt Svinge, Business Manager of Oberthur Technologies Sweden.

“We see this partnership as a very important step to strengthen Comex position as a highly recognized supplier of data security at a level approved for national security. This will improve our joint marketing possibilities throughout the world within this segment of highly secured products,” says Mikael Aronowitsch CEO of Comex Electronics AB.

The companies’ first joint marketing effort will be at Defence Systems & Equipment International 2009 (DSEI) fair 8-11 of September in London, you can visit us on booth 705

About Oberthur Technologies

With sales of 882.7 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: One of the world’s leading providers of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services for mobile, payment, transport, digital TV and convergence markets. - Identity: International player 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. - Fiduciary 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 92300 Levallois Perret, France. Oberthur Technologies S.A.’s corporate registration number is 340 709 534 R.C.S. Paris.

website: www.oberthur.com

About Comex Electronics AB

Comex Electronics AB was established in 1988 and is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Comex is a well-known supplier of data security for the Swedish Armed Forces, authorities, and organizations with high information security demands. Comex is one of the leaders in the field of developing and manufacturing anti-eavesdrop protected computer systems and access control systems. In cooperation with the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, Comex has developed a Common Criteria certified combined smart card and biometric reader, for strong identification of users in the modern defence.

The software department at Comex specializes in developing high-security solutions based on Public Key Infrastructure, such as solutions for secure electronic communication and computer/networklogon. One of Comex logon systems is BeThere(R), a product that combines physical and logical access control. A user cannot logon to the computer network before having been successfully authenticated by the physical passing system. For instance, a rule can be set to only allow logon to a computer network like R&D, if there are at least two people in the room. This reduces the insider and social engineering threats.

Website: www.comex.se

Source: Oberthur Technologies

Oberthur Contact: Sara Depagneux, +33-1-55-46-72-00, s.depagneux at oberthur.com;
Comex Contact: Mikael Aronowitsch, +46-8-630-82-30, mikael at comex.se