Things move. Sounds like a simple statement that doesn’t surprise anyone. But as you start to think about supporting “Internet of Things” and connected cars the discussion becomes much more complex. In the United States it’s not as difficult as there aren’t as many operators. But, when you think about Europe and things moving from operator to operator within a country and then from country to country it gets really complex very quickly.
AT&T announced this week a single GSMA SIM for the IoT, machine-to-machine and connected cars. The solution allows for use of multiple mobile operator profiles on a single SIM. They claim to be the first operator to announce a global SIM meeting GSMA specifications. The global SIM allows for M2M connectivity via hundreds of carriers worldwide. Over-the-air provisioning is another feature enabling the addition and deletion of mobile operator credentials as required. AT&T has had a global platform supported by a single SIM in place since 2012. This announcement is focused on meeting the GSMA specifications for multiprofile SIMs.
On-demand connectivity is also something Gemalto was showing last week at CTIA’s Super Mobility Week in Las Vegas. I had the opportunity to see a demo of the solution in the context of Connected Cars.
Cars don’t usually end up living where they are manufactured. Cars get sold over time and people move their residence. Again, not so big of a deal in the United States, but Europe really complicates maters. If you have to pre-select the end user’s mobile operator before a car is sold you would really be limiting the way you manage your inventory.
Think about a solution where a car identifies where it is and can have the SIM provisioned over the air? When a device is activated for the first time, the On-Demand Provisioning System remotely configures connectivity over the air to the subscriber’s operator of choice. Gemalto not only supports this, but allows for four operators to be provisioned on a single SIM. Definitely a plus if you’re in Europe.
IoT is an exciting market to watch. Especially since the “things” keep expanding to include all manner of devices, vehicles, wearables, people and even pets as time goes on. It seems only your imagination can limit the options here. Don’t underestimate the complexity of making all of this work in a mobile or moving world. These early operator and vendor pioneers who are stepping up to these challenges will help to offer a smoother transition into these new technologies in order for end users to have a positive initial customer experience.
