Orange and F-Secure to launch mobile antivirus service in UK

Service with leading global operator to begin this summer

F-Secure today announced an agreement to provide its leading edge F-Secure Mobile Anti-Virus service to Orange UK in Q3. This follows the agreement made with Orange Switzerland in June last year to offer subscription-based mobile data security to its smartphone customer base. It also strengthens the position of F-Secure as the global leader of mobile security for smartphones.

By using of an innovative update system via the mobile network, Orange and F-Secure can now offer a simple and effective solution, which ensures that all Orange UK’s smartphone users now have the possibility to protect their phones against harmful content.

Speaking about the deal with Orange, Risto Siilasmaa, President and CEO of F-Secure said: "We celebrate Orange’s decision to work with F-Secure in providing an affordable and updateable mobile data security service for their subscribers. I am convinced that a subscription-based security service is the way forward for mobile operators and their customers in avoiding the kinds of problems we see today in the PC world. We look forward to expanding the service to other Orange countries in due course."

Phil Iley, head of product management at Orange said: "As handsets have become more advanced and open to meet customer needs, both the sophistication and proliferation of the mobile viruses has become an issue.  Having witnessed a growing number of cases on our network we worked with F-Secure to be the first operator to proactively offer mobile virus protection - enabling our customers to protect information stored on their smartphones should they wish to do so."

The Mobile Anti-Virus service will be available through Orange web services in August. Users can download it directly from the web to their phone and enjoy immediate protection against mobile malware. Other distribution methods are also being planned. Prospective users can enjoy a free one-week trial after which the cost is £1.50 per month (approximately 2.20 EUR), which will be charged automatically from all subscribed users with premium SMS.

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