Orange Offering Mobile Phone Anti-virus Software

Orange Switzerland and F-Secure 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 and it is available via the Orange World portal.

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 require an effective security solution to protect their device from this threat.

"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 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."

Posted to the site on 4th July 2005