As part of an initiative announced in November 2010, the GSMA has formed a task force of mobile operators to explore the development of an embedded SIM that can be remotely activated, writes Alun Lewis.
The move is intended to enable the design of exciting new form factors for mobile communications. It is also expected to speed the development of machine-to-machine (M2M) services by making it easier to bring mobile broadband to non-traditional devices such as cameras, MP3 players, navigation devices and e-readers, as well as smart meters.
“The GSMA’s development will become a major catalyst in the explosion of connected devices, not only in 2011 but throughout the next few years,” says Ian Marsden, CTO at M2M enabler Eseye. “As a key M2M enabler, Eseye have witnessed first-hand the challenges ahead of mass deployment for embedded SIMs.
“Fragmentation in the market has been a key barrier to mass adoption and with the GSMA’s support, this has now been addressed. Connected devices are already enabling solutions across multiple verticals as varied as consumer electronics to e-health and security applications, and this is now set to expand drastically,” adds Marsden.
