Gemplus has Supplied Over Half a Million Setec ePassports to Several European Countries Since October 2005

Luxembourg and Vantaa, Finland (ots/PRNewswire) - Gemplus
International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and NASDAQ: GEMP),
a world leading provider of secure card-based solutions, announces
today that, in the last six months, it has supplied well over half a
million personalized and biometric Setec ePassports to four different
countries. Taking into account both the number of personalized
biometric passports issued and the number of countries using Setec
ePassports, Gemplus is currently the leading ePassport supplier in
the world.

Sweden and Norway were the two first pioneers worldwide to start
nationwide roll-outs with biometric passports. Both countries
migrated successfully to Gemplus's Setec ePassports at the beginning
of October 2005. In addition, Gemplus also supplies Sweden with
biometric national eID cards suitable for travel within the Schengen
area.

All Gemplus's ePassports are compliant with the ICAO and EU
specifications. Two different but equally secure solutions are
proposed. The first is a polycarbonate-based data page including
microchip with biometric identifiers. The second is called a "cover"
solution, where the microchip with biometrics is embedded in the
passport cover. Gemplus has supplied both data page and cover
solutions for its customers, alongside personalization services,
electronic ordering and delivery services, image processing and key
management services to several customers.

Furthermore, the Setec-developed personalization system for
issuing biometric emergency passports is in use in Sweden. In
practice this means that a citizen can apply for a normal biometric
passport even at a border control on a while-you-wait basis. This
concept was developed to serve citizens who have forgotten their
passport when travelling but the same concept can be used for issuing
other ID and eID documents as well.

The security level of Gemplus's Setec ePassports is very high due
to the combination of polycarbonate and laser engraving which enables
several visual security elements. This is combined with plenty of
experience and leading research and development resources in smart
card operating systems and PKI technology. Also the in-house
competence on chip inlays and the capability to manage the whole
value chain of passport are key elements in Gemplus' ePassport
services.

"A year on since we announced the acquisition of Setec, we have
been pleased with the combined efforts and results in Identity and
Security. Various ePassport projects are under way and we have
received only positive feedback from our customers. This stands us in
good stead for new projects over the next few months and years,"
states Philippe Vallée, Chief Technology Officer, Gemplus. "Setec has
now become the brand name for our Government and ID range of products
and services".

About Gemplus

Gemplus International S.A. (Euronext: LU0121706294 - GEM and
NASDAQ: GEMP) is a world leading player in the secure card industry
in both revenue and total shipments (source: Gartner-Dataquest 2005,
Frost & Sullivan, Datamonitor). It has sold over 5.5 billion smart
cards.

Gemplus delivers a wide range of portable, personalized solutions
in areas including Identity, Mobile Telecommunications, Public
Telephony, Banking, Retail, Transport, Healthcare, WLAN, Pay-TV,
e-government, and access control.

Setec, a Gemplus company acquired in 2005, becomes the brand name
for Government Identity solutions. The Setec solutions include
products that require extreme security, such as biometric and visual
passports, electronic and visual ID cards, driving licenses and
health cards. Most of Gemplus passports and ID cards are manufactured
in Setec production in Vantaa, Finland.

Gemplus' revenue in 2005 was 939 million Euros.

www.gemplus.com

For more information:
Tuula Wäyrynen
Communications Manager, Northern Europe
+358-(0)9-8941-4532, +358-(0)40-824-3459
tuula.wayrynen@gemplus.com
Jane Strachey
Gemplus Press Relations Manager
+33-(0)442364661 / +33-(0)676493593
Jane.strachey@gemplus.com

(c)2006 Gemplus. All rights reserved. Gemplus, the Gemplus logo,
are trademarks and service marks of Gemplus S.A. and are registered
in certain countries. All other trademarks and service marks, whether
registered or not in specific countries, are the property of their
respective owners.

Some of the statements contained in this release constitute
forward-looking statements. These statements relate to future events
or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our
industry's actual results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements to be materially different from any future results,
levels of activities, performance, or achievements expressed or
implied by such forward-looking statements. Actual events or results
may differ materially. Although we believe that the expectations
reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot
guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or
achievements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ
materially from those estimated by the forward-looking statements
contained in this release include, but are not limited to: trends in
wireless communication and mobile commerce markets; our ability to
develop new technology, and the effects of competing technologies
developed and expected intense competition generally in our main
markets; profitability of our expansion strategy; challenges to or
loss of our intellectual property rights; our ability to establish
and maintain strategic relationships in our major businesses; our
ability to develop and take advantage of new software and services;
and the effect of future acquisitions and investments on our share
price. Moreover, neither we nor any other person assumes
responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of such
forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained
in this release speak only as of this release. We are under no duty
to update any of the forward-looking statements after this date to
conform such statements to actual results or to reflect the
occurrence of anticipated results.

ots Originaltext: Gemplus
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For more information: Tuula Wäyrynen, Communications Manager,
Northern Europe, +358-(0)9-8941-4532, +358-(0)40-824-3459,
tuula.wayrynen@gemplus.com. Jane Strachey, Gemplus Press Relations
Manager, +33-(0)442364661 / +33-(0)676493593,
Jane.strachey@gemplus.com