IDEMIA Partners With KT Corporation to Support Launch of Asia-Pacific’s 1st 5G Standalone Network and 5G SIM

(BUSINESS WIRE) -- IDEMIA will supply KT Corporation its eXtra One 5G USIM (Universal Subscriber Identity Module), a dedicated 5G SIM card giving enhanced subscriber privacy protection and fast, seamless connectivity in South Korea, while marking a big development leap forward and boosting consumer 5G handset adoption.

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, today announced it plans to team up with KT Corporation (formerly Korea Telecomm) to launch KTC’s first standalone (SA) 5G USIM card in Asia-Pacific in support of their new 5G standalone network.

Under this partnership, IDEMIA will supply KTC 5G standalone USIM cards with NFC (near-field communication) features. The 5G standalone USIM delivers better security for MNO (Mobile Network Operator) network customers as the cards are specially designed to protect customer privacy. Through the USIMs IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) encryption capability, MNO customer private data such as location and network usage habits will be protected by the fact that mobile users’ IMSI numbers are encrypted before transmission to networks. The card safeguards MNOs’ control over their 5G security and data. Compliant with global privacy regulations and recommended by the Trusted Connectivity Alliance (TCA), 5G USIM cards are also compatible with 5G non-stand alone (NSA) networks, 4G networks and South Korea’s NFC contactless payment schemes.

“We constantly push the boundaries at IDEMIA, and launching our eXtra One 5G SA USIM cards in Asia for the first time is testament to this. We have worked with KT Corporation for many years going back to the 3G era, and we are thrilled to join forces once more to bring to market a truly groundbreaking product. We look forward to support their efforts in delivering a smoother, more modern experience to South Korean customers,” said Benson Yeo, IDEMIA Asia Pacific Mobile Operators Vice President.

“It’s just a matter of time before 5G becomes the new global communication standard. We partner with IDEMIA to stay ahead of the curve and ensure that our users’ privacy and data are totally safe while they enjoy the benefits of our 5G networks. Our past great teamwork with IDEMIA gives us confidence they have the expertise and capability to create these game-changing 5G SA USIM cards for our customers”, said Joon-Ho Lee, Device Team Leader, Device Division, KT Corporation.

About IDEMIA

IDEMIA, the global leader in Augmented Identity, provides a trusted environment enabling citizens and consumers alike to perform their daily critical activities (such as pay, connect and travel), in the physical as well as digital space.

Securing our identity has become mission critical in the world we live in today. By standing for Augmented Identity, an identity that ensures privacy and trust and guarantees secure, authenticated and verifiable transactions, we reinvent the way we think, produce, use and protect one of our greatest assets – our identity – whether for individuals or for objects, whenever and wherever security matters. We provide Augmented Identity for international clients from Financial, Telecom, Identity, Public Security and IoT sectors. With close to 15,000 employees around the world, IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries.

For more information, visit www.idemia.com / Follow @IdemiaGroup on Twitter

About IDEMIA’s Mobile Operators Business unit

IDEMIA serves clients in 180 countries and is trusted by over 500 mobile operators globally. With over 900 million SIM cards, 100 + eSIM platform references and over 2.2 eSIM consumer transactions in 2020, IDEMIA is leading the way in eSIM and remote subscription management for consumer and M2M spaces and end-to-end biometric solutions. Making MNOs the next identity providers. IDEMIA benefits from its global manufacturing footprint (Brazil, France, India and China) and cutting-edge security data centers in Europe and the United States. Our solutions are trusted by the largest Groups worldwide. Our continuous innovation is fueled by strong R&D investments and close partnerships in IoT/M2M - Connectivity - Biometrics – Security – Encryption – QoS/QoE – Advanced SIM & services areas.

About KT Corporation

KT Corp., Korea's largest telecommunications service provider, is leading the new era of innovations in one the world's most connected countries with 5G, Big Data, Cloud, IoT, Blockchain and other transformative technologies. KT launched the world's first nationwide commercial 5G network in April 2019, after showcasing the first trial 5G services at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in February 2018. To help cope with COVID-19, KT is staging a social campaign, dubbed "Ma-Eum:TACT (Heart to Heart)," providing technology support for people and businesses in need. KT will deliver most essential and innovative services and solutions to its customers around the world as the first frontier in the next technology revolution and number one Global ICT Company.

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