SIMCom, the designer and manufacturer of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless modules and solutions, announced that the SIMCom NB-IoT SIM7070 module measuring only 24 mm x 24 mm can now be equipped with a compact eSIM security controller from Infineon powered by GSMA-compliant remote SIM management software provided by Kigen (UK) Ltd. The security controller comes in the smallest SMD package, significantly smaller than the standard currently established.
eSIM and Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) technology are huge breakthroughs, relieving a major bottleneck in at-scale device deployment for massive IoT. A growing ecosystem is discovering eSIM benefits for more use cases. Instead of using a physical SIM to send the data required to connect to the network, eSIM enables remote SIM provisioning of any cellular connected device.
This specification is used in various applications within the sectors of consumer electronics, home IoT applications, industrial (IIoT) applications such as smart metering, and logistics (asset tracking).
“IoT equipment is getting smaller but has more functions, which presents a big challenge to the module supplier. Thanks to the cooperative effort with Infineon and Kigen, SIMCom’s NB-IoT module SIM7070 family now supports the option of embedding a miniaturised eSIM and facilitate integration, and logistics while reducing costs of manufacturing secure by design goods at scale,” says Yang Tao, chairman of SIMCom.
NB-IoT will thus become an integral part of IMT-2020 or 5G, addressing the burgeoning demand for low-speed, low-bandwidth connections in utilities, households and industries. SIMCom SIM7070 series is an NB-IoT module which supports wireless communication modes of Cat-M/Cat-NB/GPRS/EDGE.
It employs an LCC form factor and has a compact size of 24 mm x 24 mm, so it’s ideal for compact product design. Meanwhile, it has abundant interfaces including UART, GPIO, PCM, SPI, I2C, etc. The SIM7070 series has been used in metering tracker and other various scenes which need low latency, low-throughput data communication in a variety of radio-propagation conditions.
In addition to providing its OPTIGA Connect IoT eSIM turnkey solution, Infineon supports diverse IoT solutions from its partners with its security controller hardware expertise. The SLM17 32-bit eSIM security controller, embedded in a miniaturised SMD package measuring 2mmx2mm in a SIMcom SIM7070 module, is optimised for the demands of cellular IoT applications, providing an extended temperature range from -40 to 105°C.
Thanks to highly robust NVM technology and resistance to harsh environmental conditions such as vibrations and humidity, SLM17 supports a lifetime in excess of 10 years, retains data for more than 10 years and boasts extremely low failure rates.
“The deployment of 5G and the move towards the cloud and virtualisation are reshaping operations and practices in the industry. We support this transformation through collaborations like this, eliminating the SIM integration effort for SIMCom customers and MNOs. At the same time, we are meeting pressing industry demands for scalability, easy deployment and widescale coverage,” says Juergen Rebel, senior vice president and general manager embedded security at Infineon.
Under this partnership, Kigen will provide it’s GSMA-compliant eSIM OS and M2M Remote SIM Provisioning services for SIM7070 eSIM modules, enabling over the air switching of SIM profiles from different mobile operators or IoT connectivity providers, thus allowing for continuous local connectivity. Kigen’s remote SIM provisioning service is certified via audit as an SAS-SM provider for SM-DP and SM-SR capability.
Kigen’s eSIM services also support MNOs and device makers who wish to streamline their logistics as they scale their secure device roll-outs. Device makers choosing cellular connectivity can distribute their devices to customers worldwide, with a single certified eSIM-enabled product.
Devices and customers can be onboarded and managed easily from a unified RSP management scheme. Product upgrades and new services can be provided remotely, supporting innovation and service differentiation. Through this integration, device makers can retain their network of choice and flexibility through Kigen’s bundled eSIM enablement services.
“One barrier to scaling IoT is the complexity device makers face in accessing readily available hardware, and especially so with low-power cellular IoT. Thus, the collaboration with SIMCom and Infineon brings together all elements in a way that allows even the smallest devices to get connected with ease and at scale.
With Kigen’s GSMA-certified eSIM OS and remote SIM provisioning services, device makers can manufacture a single product to win new customers in new geographies and work with their preferred connectivity networks.” says Vincent Korstanje, CEO of Kigen.
In 5G era, the coming challenge for enterprises, MNOs and IoT service operators will be activating millions more devices quickly and securely. MNOs can offer unique M2M and IoT services without adding human intensive processes, choosing instead to use proven M2M RSP solutions. RSP enabled solutions expand their customer base and allow to capitalise on massive IoT and 5G growth.
Device makers choosing cellular connectivity can distribute their devices to customers worldwide, with a single certified eSIM-enabled product. Costs are reduced as the need to stock and manage variants of SIM form factors are eliminated.
Enterprises can use RSP to virtually manage a secure array of devices deployed across geographic regions. Devices and customers can be onboarded and managed easily from a unified RSP management scheme. Product upgrades and new services can be provided remotely, supporting innovation and service differentiation.
Together with Infineon and Kigen, SIMCom SIM7070 eSIM solution will have a potential market and help to achieve the dream of a connected world.
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