SAGEM Morpho, NEC Solutions Demonstrate New Technology for Increasing Driver's License Security; Biometric Industry Leaders, Demonstrate Biometric Interoperability Standard

    TACOMA, Wash. & GOLD RIVER, Calif.--Oct. 22, 2002--SAGEM Morpho and NEC Solutions (America), Inc., providers of biometric solutions and services, today announced a biometric driver's license interoperability demonstration presented at the recent Annual American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrator's (AAMVA) Conference and Biometric Consortium Conference.
    Based on the AAMVA standard for biometric templates, these industry leaders have demonstrated that a biometric-based driver's license could be read on different vendor terminals. Currently five U.S. states -- California, Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii and Texas -- have legislation in place allowing fingerprint biometric data to be added to a driver's license. This legislation enables these states to provide an increased level of identification and security for driver's license holders. The interoperability demonstration shows the potential of interstate biometric driver's license identification regardless of which vendor's technology is used to administer the state's system.
    "Biometrics have the ability to create a more secure driver's license," said Jean-Marc Suchier, president and CEO of SAGEM Morpho. "Our work with NEC has enabled us to demonstrate a biometric system that can help create a nationwide standard for biometric driver's licenses."
    "The use of biometrics is key to eliminating duplicate and fraudulent driver's licenses and interoperability between states will provide tremendous benefits to state law enforcement agencies," said Tony Doonan, vice president, NEC Solutions America, Identification Solutions Division. "We're confident work with SAGEM Morpho will help set standards for the driver's licenses of tomorrow."
    For this interoperability demonstration, SAGEM Morpho and NEC Solutions America jointly created a standardized electronic sample driver's license template using the new AAMVA standard for fingerprint data. The two companies then created sample records and printed sample licenses containing fingerprint data on a two-dimensional barcode printed onto the back of each license. To complete the demonstration, each license was tested using the other vendor's biometric terminals, similar to the way a California driver's license might be read at a terminal in Colorado in the future.

    About SAGEM Morpho

    SAGEM Morpho, a proven provider of mission-critical biometric solutions and services, develops, manufactures and integrates biometric technologies, products and services into government and business processes. SAGEM Morpho applies twenty years of global experience in fingerprint identification to deliver trusted biometric solutions to meet customer needs in government and commercial sectors. SAGEM Morpho's solutions are in use by more than 35 government agencies including statewide systems for customers such as New York, Texas and Arizona. SAGEM Morpho is a wholly owned subsidiary of Groupe SAGEM.

    About SAGEM

    SAGEM is the global leader in the provision of biometric solutions for business and government. Groupe SAGEM is a Paris based high technology group, which enjoyed consolidated sales of $2.85 billion in 2001. The company employs more than 13,000 people in more than twenty countries. In addition to biometrics and security, SAGEM provides products and services in the fields of telecommunications and defense. SAGEM has also been awarded the 2002 Frost & Sullivan Market Engineering Leadership Award for excellence in fingerprint identification systems and for global biometric industry leadership. The shares of SAGEM SA are listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

    About NEC Solutions America

    NEC Solutions (America), Inc. is a leading provider of business solutions and services for the high-end commercial and professional markets in North America. As an affiliate of NEC Corporation, NEC Solutions America supplies customized technology solutions, including presentation systems, enterprise computing products, biometric and information security solutions, advanced eBusiness integration systems, and professional IT/IS systems. The Identification Solutions Division, a recognized leader in biometric technologies, developed some of the first and finest automated methods of identifying people by their fingerprint and palmprint characteristics. They provide identification solutions for law enforcement, government, and commercial applications requiring network security. For more information call 800/777-AFIS or visit our www.necsolutions-am.com.

    About NEC Corporation

    NEC Corporation (FTSE: 6701q.1) is one of the world's leading providers of Internet, broadband network and enterprise business solutions dedicated to meeting the specialized needs of its diverse and global base of customers. Ranked as one of the world's top patent-producing companies, NEC delivers tailored solutions in the key fields of computer, networking and electron devices, through its three market-focused, in-house companies: NEC Solutions, NEC Networks and NEC Electron Devices. NEC Corporation employs nearly 140,000 people worldwide and had net sales of approximately $39 billion in the fiscal year ended March 2002. For additional information, please visit the NEC home page at: http://www.nec.com/.