Symantec partners with Bharti Airtel to offer India’s first Norton smartphone security solution

BANGALORE, INDIA: As mobile devices continue to increase in popularity in 2010, Symantec predicts that more attackers will devote time to creating malware to exploit these devices. With more mobile devices accessing corporate networks, often through unprotected pathways, malware writers and criminals will use this window to gain access to sensitive data.

Reinforcing its commitment to fight cybercrime, Symantec (Nasdaq: SYMC), makers of Norton Internet Security solutions, and Bharti Airtel, one of Asia’s leading integrated telecom services provider, in collaboration with Lotaris, a Swiss-based Mobile Internet Security service provider, today announced the launch of Norton Smartphone Security for Airtel’s mobile customers in India.

“Mobile Internet adoption rates in India continue to grow rapidly, and Airtel’s adoption of Norton Smartphone Security for its customers is a crucial step in raising consumer awareness of the importance of adopting security for mobile devices,” said Hal Bennett, vice president, global OEM and ISP sales, Symantec.

Designed to provide mobile users the same level of security that has become standard for laptops and other computing devices, Norton Smartphone Security provides a seamless user experience to Windows Mobile and Symbian smartphone users. It provides mobile operators and service providers with the ability to deliver services, over-the-air, in flexible subscription-centric service models and to bill their subscribers directly.

Shireesh Joshi, Director, Marketing – Mobile Services, Bharti Airtel said: “As an increasing number of our mobile customers use their phone to access the internet and hold sensitive personal and business information, data security becomes a genuine concern. With the Norton Smartphone Security, we are offering our mobile customers a one-stop security solution in an easy to purchase model. This latest innovation is in line with our commitment to constantly enrich our customers’ experience.”

Available for Airtel mobile customers on their WAP Market place, Airtel Live, the one-stop anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall solution, Norton Smartphone Security, has been provided to Airtel through the Lotaris technology platform which is highly addressable with its mobile internet security services.

“The Indian market is a great indicator of the future mobile environment. Having Airtel recognize the significance of Mobile Internet Security is a major milestone for the entire industry. Symantec’s Norton security products are trusted by customers throughout the world and Lotaris is delighted to extend its reach in the Indian market and beyond,” said Elaine Moran, Business Development Manager, Lotaris SA. “We are confident that Indian consumers would benefit immensely from this service which we provide with our local integration partner, Techzone.”

The Norton Smartphone Security on Airtel Live offers the following features:

Antivirus – Protects users from viruses by detecting mobile threats and preventing users from accessing infected files;

Antispam for SMS – Automatically deletes spam messages, or filters them to a separate spam folder;

Firewall – Controls both inbound and outbound network traffic on the mobile device;

Platform Compatibility – Supports all Symbian and Windows Mobile devices.

The one-stop anti-virus, anti-spam and firewall solution will be available for Airtel mobile customers on Airtel Live for just Rs. 10 per week. With this, Airtel offers an easy to buy and pay solution – customers simply download from Airtel Live and the cost gets deducted from the balance talk time or added to the monthly bill. The service is available for a free, seven-day trial period.