AIRTAG | contactless Interactivity

The 2nd European Near Field Communication Developers Summit is the focus of WIMA 2008 and will present the latest developments in this rapidly evolving technology, its applications and services.

WIMA is the European event and meeting place for developers, systems integrators, device manufacturers and service providers to come together, learn, exchange and do business. Presentations and exhibits will explore some of the top NFC application areas including smart transactions using card emulation for payment and ticketing, accessing digital content and peer-to-peer communication between NFC devices. Excellent networking opportunities, affordable sponsor packages & low conference registration fees.

New for 2008 - FREE exhibition floor access for all industry professionals & students offering the ideal occasion to discover and learn more about NFC technology.

Special Event: “Touching the Future” NFC Forum Global Competition Finals & Awards Ceremony

For more information and to register please visit www.wima-nfc.com or contact:
Joanna Merchie - Event Manager
j.merchie@wima.mc
Tel : +377 93 10 40 57
Fax : +377 93 50 70 14

Barcelona, Mobile World Congress – February 12th, 2008 – 08:00 am

Oberthur Technologies, one of the world’s leading smart card suppliers, in partnership with AIRTAG – an innovative start-up dedicated to NFC (Near Field Communication) applications – today announced the demonstration of the NFC Mobile Kiosk for fast food at the Mobile World Congress, which is the first fully integrated NFC multiplications service featuring marketing and payment services.

This NFC solution includes a SIM-embedded application enabling a fast food client to build an order while queuing through a very user friendly interface, save choices on the SIM and make the order effective by simply waving his mobile to the reader linked to the cash box. As a consequence, queues will be faster and misunderstandings between the customer and the seller will be avoided. 

Since the early stages of the NFC, Oberthur Technologies has constantly been working on this technology in order to provide customers with ease and convenience to their everyday lifestyle. Towards this direction, Oberthur Technologies decided to partner with AIRTAG and to jointly develop new solutions focused on retail and services.

"We’ve been working actively on the value added of NFC technologies for large retail networks. Our NFC Mobile Kiosk Solution for fast food is built with ease of use, speed and serviceability in mind which makes it a very added value application for fast food companies said Jérémie Leroyer Founder and CEO of AIRTAG. These sets of retails applications combined with contatless payment bring all the value added of NFC to retailers and Service Providers".

The core of this solution is Oberthur Technologies’ FlyBuy Monochip, a SIM compliant with the latest NFC standard. This SIM hosts the payment application, an ordering application and loyalty.

• The first application allows payment. This application is currently being tested in the "Payez mobile" deployment.
• The Ordering application allows a user-friendly interface enabling fast and easy "Menu Building"
• The loyalty application uses the principle of smart posters to download free items, promotion coupons, goodies on the SIM of the mobile

"Oberthur Technologies’ expertise and know-how in mobile technology has enabled us to design an architecture that complies with all the standards set by the service providers’ requirements and to ensure secure management application on the SIM. We are now focusing on delivering innovative services based on the NFC technology. We are proud to partner with AIRTAG and be able to enhance customers’ convenience through this retail solution," said Olivier Leroux, Mobile Product Line General Manager at Oberthur Technologies.

This e-ticketing innovative solution including ordering and payment opens the way to a variety of possible applications that could be part of our every day life in a close future.

Visit us on the Oberthur Technologies’ booth: Hall 8 – 8B68

About Oberthur Technologies

 With sales of 733.4million Euros in 2007, 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:

• Smart cards: One of the world’s leading providers of security and identification based on smart card technology and associated services, such as personalization, for the mobile, payment, identity, digital TV and transport markets.
• Secure printing: The world’s third largest private security printer, specializing in high security for the production and management of banknotes, passports and other identity documents in more than fifty countries.
• Cash protection: World leader in the emerging market of equipments for smart cash transportation and ATM protection.

Close to its customers, Oberthur Technologies benefits from an industrial and commercial presence across all five continents. Oberthur Technologies is listed on the Eurolist section B stock exchange.

www.oberthur.com

About AIRTAG

Founded in 2006 by two co-founders of Haïku / Index Europe, AIRTAG is the first European start-up company fully dedicated to NFC technology applications.

Based in Paris, AIRTAG provides contactless / NFC solutions to retailers and mobile carriers: embedded applications, Application Platform (Applications lifecyle management) and NFC Infrastructures.

www.airtag.com

AIRTAG has developped a showcase for L’Echangeur. L’Echangeur is the European center for innovative customer relation practice. Starting september 25, 2007, Visitors will have the opportunity to visit a contactless Retail Shop with their NFC Phones (payment and loyalty cards, interactivity with a contactless kiosk).

The solution is based on AIRTAG platform and uses AIRTAG SIM based NFC application

Prior joining AIRTAG, Guillaume has been working within GE Capital Solutions as Sales Director, where he met succesfully several different sales and management challenges. He developed in particular a Franchise Finance business where he built a strong expertise in the retail sector.

Guillaume holds a Master Degree from EM Bordeaux. He speaks French, English and Italian.

Paris (France) - June 28, 2007 - AIRTAG®, the first European company to turn contactless & NFC into a marketing, loyalty and advertising tool, today announced the closing of a €2 million funding round with leading European venture capital investor Seventure Partners (funds Banque Populaire Innovation 10 et Crédit Agricole Asset Management Innovation 6). The transaction is the first funding round of the company.

"We are very pleased to benefit from the support of such an experienced investor with deep expertise in the telecom and retail industries," said Jérémie Leroyer, president and CEO of AIRTAG. "We will leverage this new funding to support the rollout of our contactless ‘smart objects’ loyalty and payment offer and speed up the development of our next generation Near Field Communication (NFC) platform".

“We were particularly impressed with AIRTAG’s seasoned management team. The company has consistently demonstrated its ability to leverage its investments wisely, win strategic accounts and move an R&D-intensive business forward. We strongly believe that NFC is the next big opportunity that will happen in the mobile field, AIRTAG’s roadmap and its focus on customer satisfaction will make it a success”, said Fréderic-François Lebrun, Partner, Seventure Partners.

With AIRTAG, consumers can use a contactless “smart object” (customized card or keyfob, transport pass) for a new personalized shopping experience: loyalty programs become smarter, payment easier and secured and promotions focused and contextual. For example, AIRTAG launched in 2007 the GSPOT program for Gedenim a multi-brand lifestyle & clothing retail network, targeting 15-25 year-old customers of its 15 stores in the Paris region.

Moreover, this funding transaction provides AIRTAG with the resources to further develop and complete its secured service platform for MNOs, which will include the following features:

• Embedded JavaCard applications development & personalization,
• Applications life-cycle management,
• Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning of consumer applications NFC enabled devices.

European MNOs will start launching commercial offers by early 2008 and AIRTAG positions itself as a Trusted Service Manager specializing in retail services with a twofold objective:

• Securely distribute and manage the merchants and retailers services to the MNOs customer base,
• Turn the cell phone not only into a contactless payment device but also into a powerful tool for contextual marketing, loyalty enhancement and targeted advertising.

AIRTAG’s solutions for MNOs have been highlighted at the 3GSM Congress where AIRTAG demonstrated a NFC loyalty, payment & ticketing application.

AIRTAG’s customers include mobile operators, fast-food companies, retailers, financial services companies and other service providers.

About AIRTAG

Founded in 2006 by two co-founders of Haïku / Index Europe, AIRTAG is the first European start-up company fully dedicated to NFC technology applications.
AIRTAG provides contactless / NFC solutions to retailers and mobile carriers: embedded application (JavaCard), Application Platform (Applications lifecyle management) and NFC middleware Gateway for third parties.
AIRTAG is hosted and supported in its R&D by Telecom Paris Entrepreneurs a Paris based start-up incubator.
www.airtag.com

About Seventure

Active Partner of companies with high growth potential, Seventure invests since 1997 in innovative technology businesses. Seventure Partners invest in young French and European ventures acting in NTIC, Telco and Life Science field. With € 400,000,000 under management, Seventure Partners is one of the largest European Venture Capital investor. Seventure Partners is a branch of Natixis Private Equity, one of the Private Equity leaders in Europe.
www.seventure.fr

Placement agent: Optiva Capital.

AIRTAG announces today the launch of GSPOT, a contactless loyalty program for the GEDENIM shop network in Paris and the Paris region.

GEDENIM, a multi-brand lifestyle & clothing retail network targeted to 15-25 with 10 shops in the Paris region, proposes the first contactless loyalty program with a branded interactive smart object, interactive POS materials and promotion contactless kiosks.

AIRTAG developed the whole solution for Gedenim, the program is based on AIRTAG contactless platform, middleware & infrastructure. AIRTAG’ platforms connectors enabled the complete integration of GSPOT with the cashiers’ software and company information system.

The program is fully compatible with NFC mobile handsets to be launch by early 2008 in France by mobile carriers.

Leading contactless technologies and partners enable unparallel telecommunications services, demoed on booth F33, hall 2, 12-15 February, 2007

Further to access control and payment, NFC makes everyday life easier and 3GSM will be a major opportunity showcase latest NFC developments with application to the telecom industry.

At 3GSM, together with Inside Contactless, Gemalto, and SFR, AIRTAG will be demonstrating the direct integration of applications into the telephone’s SIM card. Combining standardised solutions with a high degree of security (NFC Forum specifications and SWP protocol), INSIDE’s NFC enabled chipsets with AIRTAG SIM card embedded application and platform will enable mobile carrier to propose effective, flexible and secure relationship marketing application to main retailers (Loyalty, Couponing, Smart posters) and service companies (Ticketing).

3GSM will also be the time to showcase the "Contactless Travel Agency Showcase". Developed in partnership with Inside Contactless and Gemalto for SFR, the project features a smart poster application enabling end-users to download promotional offers on a private, mobile loyalty card. The voucher will then need to be redeemed on a NFC kiosk, enabling users to choose a destination, confirm the purchase and upload airline ticket directly on NFC mobile.

Cyril Porteret, co-founder & CTO of AIRTAG, was presenting the company and its R&D partnership with Telecom Paris and the GET (Groupement des Ecoles Telecom). together with other companies from Telecom Paris incubators: Navx, Netvibes, Peuplades, Nais.

 Press Release

AIRTAG is Laureate of Scientipôle Initiative, and receives financial support for its R&D. Scientipole Initiative is an institute specialized in supporting highly innovative companies and sponsored by Ile-de-Science, the Essonne Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Communities of the Plateau de Saclay, the Ile-de-France Regional authorities and France Initiative Réseau.

AIRTAG has developed a NFC showcase for SFR. During the “Happy Zone Kfé” event organised by SFR starting November 13th, visitors will have the opportunity to visit a “contactless travel agency”: your NFC phone is your loyalty & payment card and you airline ticket.

The solution is based on AIRTAG platform and uses AIRTAG SIM based NFC application.

AIRTAG receives the label “Jeune Entreprise Innovante” from the French Ministry of Research supporting its contactless R&D program runned in collaboration with ENST (Ecole Nationale des Telecommunications) research laboratories.