GlobalPlatform technology deployed 17.7bn secure elements on secure chip technology

GlobalPlatform, the association standardising the management of applications on secure chip technology, says it has ‘conservatively estimated’ that a total of 17.7 billion secure elements (SEs) based on GlobalPlatform specifications were deployed globally between 2010 and 2015. That figure represents 41% of all SE shipments, as reported by Eurosmart, in the same period.

This scale of standardisation across the global SE market demonstrates the value that an open, interoperable multi-application management infrastructure delivers to the expanding international secure digital services industry. GlobalPlatform’s standardised infrastructure empowers digital service providers, regardless of vertical or geography, to develop services once and deploy them across different markets, devices and channels.

GlobalPlatform technology is implemented across a wide range of markets worldwide, such as government and enterprise (for secure ID and access), transit, healthcare, digital rights management and content protection, connected cars, IoT and consumer wearables. Yet over the past five years, its specifications have been most extensively deployed across SEs issued by the telecoms and banking sectors. A total 14.7 billion SIMs and 2.8 billion banking cards, in circulation since 2010, are estimated to be based on GlobalPlatform technology.

Kevin Gillick, executive director of GlobalPlatform, commented: “This is a very significant announcement, which shows just how far the secure chip technology industry has advanced in recent years. Standardised products mean wider interoperability, increased efficiencies, quicker development times and result in a far more competitive global marketplace. To report that nearly half of all SEs are currently based on open and standardised technology, therefore not only represents a milestone for GlobalPlatform, but is positive news for the ecosystem at large.

Kevin Gillick, executive director of GlobalPlatform
Kevin Gillick, executive director of GlobalPlatform

“We live in a world where digital services are becoming more prevalent by the day. Since GlobalPlatform was formed in 1999, our members have worked tirelessly to develop and promote standardisation across all SE form factors, and more recently the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE).

Many global industries have already been transformed by this revolution and many more will benefit from GlobalPlatform’s infrastructure in years to come, as digital services continue to evolve and standardisation continues to play a vital role in enabling an ever more sophisticated ecosystem.”

To support its efforts to standardise the SE and facilitate global interoperability, GlobalPlatform has created an open and thoroughly evaluated compliance ecosystem for the SE. This has been made available to all interested players within the ecosystem, who wish to seek and provide assurance that services provided on the SE will behave as intended when deployed in the field.

The GlobalPlatform Compliance Program evaluates the functional behavior of a product against the requirements outlined by its configurations and associated specifications to achieve market interoperability.

The program is currently focused on the UICC, financial cards and ID cards and is being advanced to support secure elements, including smart microSDs and the eUICC. This work effort promotes industry interoperability and offers a scalable infrastructure without compromising security.

GlobalPlatform is also leading industry efforts to standardise the trusted execution environment (TEE), to meet the business critical demands of service providers for diverse use cases such as content protection, payment and other secure services.

A TEE is a secure area of the main processor of a connected device that ensures sensitive data is stored, processed and protected in an isolated, trusted environment. More information on GlobalPlatform’s TEE standardisation efforts, including its TEE compliance program and certification scheme, can be found on the GlobalPlatform website.

GlobalPlatform’s estimations are based on Eurosmart’s SE shipment figures for 2010-2015, published in May 2016.

Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_ OR @jcIoTnow

RECENT ARTICLES

Get a US$50 Amazon voucher for sharing your IoT brand knowledge

Posted on: March 28, 2024

We want to know what you know about the IoT space. Just 3 minutes could earn you a US$50 Amazon digital gift card!

Read more

Enhance EV charging performance with cellular connectivity

Posted on: March 28, 2024

Electric vehicles (EVs) are steadily growing their market share at the expense of internal combustion engine vehicles. The growth is fuelled by several factors. Perhaps most importantly, prices for EVs have started to drop as competition in the industry is intensifying. New players and models are emerging, prompting several established EV makers to lower their

Read more
FEATURED IoT STORIES

What is IoT? A Beginner’s Guide

Posted on: April 5, 2023

What is IoT? IoT, or the Internet of Things, refers to the connection of everyday objects, or “things,” to the internet, allowing them to collect, transmit, and share data. This interconnected network of devices transforms previously “dumb” objects, such as toasters or security cameras, into smart devices that can interact with each other and their

Read more

The IoT Adoption Boom – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on: September 28, 2022

In an age when we seem to go through technology boom after technology boom, it’s hard to imagine one sticking out. However, IoT adoption, or the Internet of Things adoption, is leading the charge to dominate the next decade’s discussion around business IT. Below, we’ll discuss the current boom, what’s driving it, where it’s going,

Read more

9 IoT applications that will change everything

Posted on: September 1, 2021

Whether you are a future-minded CEO, tech-driven CEO or IT leader, you’ve come across the term IoT before. It’s often used alongside superlatives regarding how it will revolutionize the way you work, play, and live. But is it just another buzzword, or is it the as-promised technological holy grail? The truth is that Internet of

Read more

Which IoT Platform 2021? IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide

Posted on: August 30, 2021

There are several different parts in a complete IoT solution, all of which must work together to get the result needed, write IoT Now Enterprise Buyers’ Guide – Which IoT Platform 2021? authors Robin Duke-Woolley, the CEO and Bill Ingle, a senior analyst, at Beecham Research. Figure 1 shows these parts and, although not all

Read more

CAT-M1 vs NB-IoT – examining the real differences

Posted on: June 21, 2021

As industry players look to provide the next generation of IoT connectivity, two different standards have emerged under release 13 of 3GPP – CAT-M1 and NB-IoT.

Read more

IoT and home automation: What does the future hold?

Posted on: June 10, 2020

Once a dream, home automation using iot is slowly but steadily becoming a part of daily lives around the world. In fact, it is believed that the global market for smart home automation will reach $40 billion by 2020.

Read more

5 challenges still facing the Internet of Things

Posted on: June 3, 2020

The Internet of Things (IoT) has quickly become a huge part of how people live, communicate and do business. All around the world, web-enabled devices are turning our world into a more switched-on place to live.

Read more