The GSMA, with partners SIMalliance and ESMIG, have published a new report written by analyst house Beecham Research highlighting the importance of the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification and eUICC to the future of the utilities sector.
More than 20 global mobile operators worldwide have already launched commercial solutions using the specification including the automotive sector. The in-depth report aims to encourage utility companies to explore how the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification and eUICC can deliver numerous benefits to different industry use cases such as smart metering, demand response, energy data management and distributed energy resource management.
The report, called Benefits of GSMA Embedded SIM Specification for the Utilities Sector, highlights four key areas where the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification and eUICC can beneficially impact the utilities sector:
- Improving reliability and reducing site visits
Using the GSMA Embedded SIM specification helps Utilities benefit from higher reliability, increased commercial flexibility and from simplified logistics. This allows over the air management of operator subscription profiles without the need for a physical change of removable SIM, for example, enabling late operator binding, solving the problem of operator lock-in and reducing the need for site visits.
- Improving security and trust
Utilities benefit from reduced commercial risk and from proven security features, as described in the GSMA IoT Security Guidelines, when using the eUICC. These include tamper-resistance and the ability to enhance trust and confidence through maintaining data integrity.
- Reducing cost and complexity
When they specify mobile connectivity solutions for their IoT devices, Utilities can take advantage of licensed radio spectrum, scalable networks, mature standards-based technology, embedded security and wide ecosystem support.
- Increases commercial flexibility
Utilities also profit from a sustainable reduced total cost of ownership, greater whole life device security and a common industry solution which provides scalable, reliable and trusted connectivity when they utilise the GSMA’s Embedded SIM Specification and the eUICC.
The GSMA’s Embedded SIM Specification is said to provide a single, de facto standard mechanism for the remote provisioning and management of machine-to-machine (M2M) connections, allowing “over the air” provisioning of an initial operator subscription, and the subsequent change of subscription from one operator to another.
The eUICC refers to a new type of SIM card that has a significantly smaller form factor than a standard removable SIM and can be built into a device at the point of manufacture, and which can then be remotely provisioned with connectivity over the air after installation.
To download the report, go to http://www.gsma.com/connectedliving/embedded-sim-for-utilities/.
For further information about the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification, go to: http://www.gsma.com/connectedliving/embedded-sim/
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