After China, Axalto looks up to India for rapid growth
By siliconindia   |   Thursday, 05 August 2004, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Paris-based microprocessor card maker Axalto Holdings NV, a former unit of Schlumberger Ltd., is looking to expand its India market envisioning a good growth in the consumer-segment of the country. Claiming to have achieved a noteworthy progress in China in the Asia Pacific region, the European company is also concentrating on the Indian market and is looking to spread its smart card community globally. Established in 1995 (India), with a personalization center in Delhi and software development center in Bangalore, the company’s Marketing Director of Asia, Cedric Collomb calls it “a local in the market, aspiring to deliver global service.” Axalto’s smart cards cater to verticals like the mobile communications, healthcare, parking, payphone, pay TV, mass transit and so on. Though its growth is girding over mobile communications; banking, health, transport and much more are its present focus of coverage. Its “revenue for fiscal 2004 was $765 million with India holding a noticeable chunk of 30 percent,” said Collomb. The company also claims to hold the credit of a few first-to-do feats, like the launch of smart card recognized as secure signature device, card that enables international mobile phone roaming and also GSM SIM 3K card. Citibank, Indian oil, BPCL, Hitachi are among Axalto’s clients in India. Its petro-card launch under the banner of BPCL is considered to be a unique in its kind and its foraying into the driving license and ID cards space is still in its infancy stage.

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