Starting business as the Smart Card and Terminal Department of
Schlumberger, after Schlumberger purchased
Sema Group, it was merged with the latter to form SchlumbergerSema. When Schlumberger sold the IT services business of SchlumbergerSema to
Atos Origin, the Smart Card and Terminal Department was again spun off to become Axalto, which went public in 2004, with its
initial public offering.On December 7, 2005, Axalto announced its
merger plan with main competitor
Gemplus International. On May 19, 2006, the European Commission approved the merger between Axalto and Gemplus, leading to the creation of the new company
Gemalto, on June 2, 2006. == References ==