Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and Thales has announced the certification of the world’s first commercially deployable iSIM (Integrated SIM) on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform. It provides the functions of a SIM in a smartphone’s main processor.
A GSMA security certification2 ensures that the iSIM has the same high standards of cyber-protection and flexible connectivity in the latest generation of embedded SIMs (eSIMs).
The new iSIM can offer mobile device makers opportunities to save space and reduce build and supply chain costs.
The iSIM has remotely manageable subscriptions through any standard platforms. Its form factor complements existing SIM and eSIM designs. And research suggests the market share to grow to 300 million by 2027. This represents 19% of all eSIM shipments, according to Kaleido Intelligence.
Qualcomm
“We are very pleased to see our investment in high assurance processor hardware security, in collaboration with Thales, achieving the security and functional bar required by the GSMA for Remote Provisioning UICC use case. We believe a Tamper Resistant Element integrated within the host processor can efficiently enable innovative use cases across many markets and product segments,” says Ziad Asghar, SVP of Product Management at Qualcomm.
Thales
“The world’s first security certification of an iSIM by the GSMA follows several years of intense development work by Qualcomm Technologies and Thales. Alongside the increasingly popular eSIM, the Thales 5G iSIM gives device makers and mobile operators even greater freedom to offer their customers effortless over-the-air connectivity, and more exciting and accessible product designs,” says Guillaume Lafaix, VP of Embedded Products at Thales.
GSMA
“The GSMA is committed to promoting a ‘security-first’ culture across the entire mobile ecosystem to ensure the benefits of mobile connectivity can be enjoyed safely by all. The GSMA eUICC Security Assurance scheme ensures that eSIM products, whether integrated or discrete, have the highest possible level of security resilience. In addition, we are delighted that our processes enable faster time to market for manufacturers and allows new type of products like the integrated SIM to emerge. iSIM increases the opportunity to proliferate cellular capability and satisfies a wider and more diverse market,” adds Alex Sinclair, CTO at GSMA.
