MWC: Embedded SIMs key to machine-to-machine communications

BARCELONA: Embedded SIM technology is vital to drive the growth of machine-to-machine technology as it will allow operators to deploy the system securely and update it remotely, according to the chief executive of the GSM Association.

Rob Conway said during an opening keynote at Mobile World Congress this morning that standardising the technology will help operators to cope with an increasingly connected world.

"To drive the rise of connecting 'things' the embedded SIM is vital, so that's why the GSMA announced the embedded SIM initiative in November and published requirements for standards around the technology," he said.

"This will help ensure that the SIMs cannot be easily removed, which helps operators provision over-the-air updates up to the point of sale and beyond. This will bring mobile broadband to all sorts of devices, like cars and smart meters."

Conway added that the GSMA will work to ensure that the security associated with traditional SIM technology will remain in embedded SIMs.

The group announced yesterday that it had finalised the requirements for the standard, and will submit it to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute at the end of February.

Conway also expects there to be six billion mobile connections by the end of 2011, one billion of which will be mobile broadband connections split between various connections types including LTE.

"There will be 400 million HSPA connections by 2012 and some 21 million LTE connections. There are 184 planned LTE deployments and 26 TD LTE trial networks, with 10 expected to go commercial by 2012," he said.

Conway explained that mobile will become the number-one payment method in the future as near-field communication technology begins to grow, and that operators are keen to get involved in this market.

"Mobile is a supremely efficient payment method, and operators want to be major enablers as the technology opens up a whole range of possibilities that they can provide to customers," he said.