Orange Switzerland and F-Secure start pilot phase of an antivirus service for mobile phone customers

Orange Switzerland and F-Secure Corporation [HEX: FSC], a leading provider of antivirus and security software, are beginning the pilot phase of an antivirus service for mobile phone customers in Switzerland and Liechtenstein. The antivirus service is free until the end of September, it is easy to use and it is available via the Orange World portal.

Orange customers with a Nokia 6600, 7610, 6670, 6260, 3230, 6630 or 6680 can try out the new mobile phone antivirus service right away. All you need to do is access the Orange Internet portal on your mobile phone, select the service and follow the instructions. The service can be used free of charge during the pilot phase until the end of September. The only charge customers will incur is for data transfer, and this will be a maximum of CHF 4. For customers subscribed to the Express Option as an add-on service, the data transfer is also free of charge.

Although mobile phone viruses, worms and the like are still a long way from being as dangerous and widespread as those affecting PCs and the Internet, the increasing number of viruses affecting mobile phones is leading to a situation where private and business customers are practically having to turn into experts in order to get an easy-to-understand and effective security solution for their mobile devices.

“It is one of our customers’ most basic expectations that they should feel secure when using mobile communication services. That is why we have always protected the Orange network in accordance with the latest, international standards. We recognise, however, that there is a growing need to protect mobile devices from attacks. That is why we have launched this pilot service with the F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus solution. Working together with F-Secure will provide us with in-depth information on the easiest and most effective ways our customers can protect themselves from security attacks,” says Daniel Hallen, Director Security & Risks at Orange Switzerland, explaining the thinking behind this service.

“It is important that we draw mobile users’ attention to the security risks and the ways they can protect themselves in the mobile domain. We need to do this today, before we are faced with a critical security situation.” We are delighted that Orange Switzerland shares our view and is prepared to work with us on this pilot service, enabling us to find out directly from the market how mobile phone users behave towards mobile security. This provides both companies with a solid base from which they can press ahead with further developments,” says Antti Vihavainen, Vice President of Mobile Security, F-Secure Corporation, on the collaboration.

By using of an innovative update system via the mobile network, Orange and F-Secure can offer a simple and effective solution which gives customers the peace of mind that their mobile phone is always protected against harmful content. The success Internet service providers have experienced with subscription security solutions for PC security show that users prefer to subscribe to an antivirus service rather than purchasing software the traditional way by way of a licence.

About F-Secure

F-Secure Corporation is the fastest growing company globally in the antivirus and intrusion prevention industry with more than 50% revenue growth in the first nine months of 2004. F-Secure services and software protect individuals and businesses against computer viruses and other threats coming through the Internet or mobile networks. Our key strength is our proven speed of response to new threats.

Mobile security has been a focus area of F-Secure for years. The company today has content security solutions available for both mobile terminals and mobile infrastructure. F Secure Mobile Anti-Virus, which provides real-time, on-device protection for mobile terminals, is the world’s first mobile operator antivirus service. F Secure Mobile Anti-Virus is also available to phone users through mobile phone manufacturers and F Secure eStore. Founded in 1988, F-Secure has been listed on the Helsinki Exchanges since 1999. We have our headquarters in Helsinki, Finland, and offices in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Japan.

About Orange Switzerland
Orange Communications AG, Lausanne, is 100 % owned by Orange SA/France Telecom Group. On the 29th May 1998 the Federal Communications Office (BAKOM) granted Orange a license to build and operate an 1800 MHz GSM mobile network. On 29th June 1999 Orange entered the Swiss market as a provider and its network now covers almost 99% of the Swiss population. In December 2000 Orange acquired one of the four UMTS licenses. At the end of 2004 Orange achieved a total revenue of 1’288 million francs and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of 395 million francs. By the end of March 2005 Orange had 1’126’000 customers, had invested over 3 billion francs and employs 1400 people. For more information on Orange, go to www.orange.ch .