SIMalliance eUICC spec to enhance interoperability of standardised remote subs management
Hervé Pierre, SIMalliance chairman
Non-profit industry association, SIMalliance, has published an updated version of its specification that standardises the remote loading and management of subscriptions across deployed machine-to-machine (M2M) and consumer devices.
The eUICC Profile Package: Interoperable Format Technical Specification v2.1 describes a common coding process for subscription data to be built, remotely loaded and installed into any embedded UICC (eUICC*), by any SIM vendor on behalf of any mobile network operator (MNO).
The latest version of the specification reduces ambiguity in specification implementation, supporting standardisation and offering potential for accelerated uptake of remote SIM provisioning across all market sectors.
In parallel, the corresponding test specification, eUICC Profile Package: Interoperable Format Test Specification v2.1, has been released to provide a global, standardised means of verifying that eUICC products align with the revised technical specification.
This reassures eUICC manufacturers and users – including MNOs – that subscription profiles will be correctly interpreted by the eUICCs they are provisioned to. Device manufactuers integrating eUICCs into their products can also be sure that they are utilising compliant products.
The previous version of the specification, eUICC Profile Package: Interoperable Format Technical Specification v2.0, is referenced in the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification, specifically within the following documents:
- Remote Provisioning Architecture for Embedded UICC Technical Specification v3.1, which defines a technical solution for the remote provisioning and management of the eUICC in M2M devices.
- RSP Technical Specification v2.1 which defines a technical solution for the remote provisioning and management of the eUICC in consumer devices.
Version 2.0 of the specification is also referenced by ETSI in TS 103 500.
Hervé Pierre, SIMalliance chairman, commented: “The term eUICC, as defined by the GSMA, refers to a SIM card which utilises remote provisioning and remote management over the lifecycle of MNO subscriptions. eUICCs, or eSIMs as they are also known, are foreseen to be increasingly relevant to a growing number of M2M and consumer use cases, which benefit from the process of loading and managing subscription data when devices are already deployed in the field.
Connected cars, smartphones, wearable technologies such as smartwatches and industrial metering are just some of the sectors where eUICCs are already having a major impact.
“The SIM industry is a key stakeholder in this ecosystem, since the core competences of SIM vendors cover the provision of secure OS, personalisation, data generation and secure data handling processes, among others. These are all services that will continue to grow in relevance in a society that is ever more connected.
“By delivering an updated version of the eUICC Profile Package Specification and associated test specification, SIMalliance confirms the stability of this technology which, through the GSMA eUICC Specification, will be integral to supporting the enablement of remote SIM provisioning in future consumer and M2M deployments across myriad sectors and use cases.”
All SIMalliance eUICC resources are available, free to download, from the resources page on the SIMalliance website.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter @IoTGN