Claus Hansen, vice president of Axalto for South Asia, said that for mobile operators in Philippines, the most pertinent issue in 2006 will be roll out of 3G services.

"Being the market leader in this area has been of utmost importance as operators strive to take advantage of the extra revenues that first movers in this space will enjoy," said Hansen.

For operators faced with the challenges to bridge the gap between 2G and 3G, and to offer subscriber solutions that introduce the new world of 3G painlessly, Axalto’s proposition in this space has been that consumers want more choice but not more complexity.

Hansen said the SIM card remains the single strongest link between operators and their subscribers providing the simple and fundamental connection over which sophisticated services can be developed and deployed.

Axalto, as the world leader in mobile communications cards involved in 75 percent of all 3G deployments to date globally, is well positioned to partner and lend its global expertise to its customers.

"We also see opportunity in the banking space. A world leader in banking smart cards, Axalto’s solutions have been recently certified and chosen to pioneer EMV adoption in China by People’s Bank of China and ICBC," said Hansen.

EMV migration rollouts are likely to continue in Asia as banks seek to reduce fraud and related losses, which are an increasing threat to consumers, tarnish bank to customer relationship and overall generate unnecessary pain and expenses to all parties.

The EMV-enabled smart cards will become a key competitive differentiator enabling even more sophisticated services such as loyalty programs, cardholder authentication for e-commerce and on-line services, and smart ticketing.

"With Axalto’s deep history of pioneering EMV migration projects, we are well positioned to create and add value to upcoming projects," said Hansen.

Axalto’s core competencies apply to all major areas of microprocessor card applications and include a global presence both in terms of production and sales, serving customers in more than 100 countries.

With more than 25 years’ experience in smart card innovation, Axalto leads its industry in security technology and open systems through its expertise in product customization and personalization, backed by a highly skilled international yet localized work force.

Axalto started operations in the Philippines about 10 years ago. Globe Telecom became the first mobile operator in the world to launch Axalto’s 128K USIMERA (Java) SIM card.

Globe has created a substantial impact on the market with this 3G-ready 128K Java SIM card utilizing its unprecedented memory and processing capabilities, to provide more personalized, sophisticated and innovative value-added services (VAS).

"As we continue to collaborate and work closely with customers in The Philippines, and across Asia, we note our strategy is in line with their points of pain," said Hansen.

Customers continue to need reliable, responsible and collaborative partners that enable them to provide personalized and protected interactions with the digital world. Axalto innovates to make them easier and more secure, Hansen added.

Axalto realized that in order to be true partners to our customers, it had to develop a clear and fundamental understanding of each operator’s individual needs.

"Our position is to offer to operators products with as many built-in tools as possible, which allow operators to have maximum flexibility and freedom to use these tools to address their respective markets with different strategies," Hansen added.

Operators, thus, have the choice to use these tools to offer innovative compelling services or to brand mobile phones through the user interface thus building brand recognition.