Gemalto Launches eSIM Technology for Windows 10 Devices (business-standard.com) 47
An anonymous reader shares a report: Global digital security firm Gemalto on Tuesday announced it will make available its on-demand connectivity and eSIM technology for Microsoft's Windows 10 devices. The eSIM is designed to be remotely provisioned by mobile network operators with subscription information and is globally interoperable across all carriers, device makers and technology providers implementing the specification. Gemalto's On-Demand Connectivity solution gives service providers the capability to deliver a seamless customer experience for connecting consumer and industrial devices. "eSIM technology remains an important investment for Microsoft as we look to create even more mobile computing opportunities," said Roanne Sones, General Manager (Strategy and Ecosystem), Microsoft.
But... (Score:2)
What is it?
Re: (Score:2)
I would try and tell you but that shitty website won't let me on because of my ad blocker.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
just don't let them network lock the systems like (Score:2)
just don't let them network lock the systems like how AT&T locks the Apple SIM to the AT&T network upon activation
Re: (Score:2)
Not only this but some providers have restrictions on what devices you can have service on as it is now you can swap in an already active sim and everything just works.
Now imagine that device that *celco name here* wouldn't activate had an esim instead. Now you're totally screwed.
This is like moving back to the cdma days where you had to contact your cellco to switch devices.
Re: (Score:2)
A remotely reprogrammable SIM card, so you don't have to switch SIMs when you change networks and it can be soldered on the PCB instead needing a slot.
But unless this lets you switch back and forth at will, it doesn't seem that great if you travel a lot. Also, I imagine it will act like a permanent identifier for tablets/PCs and they'll try to tie software and music purchases to it so you're fucked when it dies.
From what I saw chasing down what an eSIM is, it looks like the use case is to allow you to swap providers at the end of a contract. Which will mean (among other things) that you will be forced into roaming with a network when you travel rather than have the opportunity to swap out your SIM for a local one.
Re: (Score:3)
Replying to myself.
I just read another article that says
Imagine a few years from now traveling from New York to Paris with your spiffy iPhone 9. You get off the plane, go into the iPhone’s settings, and in a few steps, you sign up with a plan from any one of a number of carriers for a bundle of voice minutes and data.
http://www.barrons.com/article... [barrons.com]
So probably I don;t know jack about the pro's and con's of eSIMs.
Re:But... (Score:5, Informative)
I've used these for work, they are basically globally roaming SIMs. You have a contract with Gemalto or another service provider, and they have deals set up with carriers to most countries to roam on their networks. We have sent them all over the world, from Europe to South America to Iran so Korea, and they just work.
Obviously the contracts are not cheap, but they are mainly aimed at industrial applications where the amount of data is low so a 5MB/month cap is no problem. Yes, five megabytes. They actually go right down to 1MB/month or SMS only.
For a business user who just wants to be able to travel and not worry about getting the right SIM the extra cost would be acceptable.
These SIMs are not reprogrammable. They are like normal SIMs, in fact you can get them in a normal SIM form factor. The eSIM format is a small chip that can be installed inside the device permanently, as long as you don't mind being stuck with Gemalto or whoever as your service provider. Again, they are good for industrial applications because they are robust (can't fall out of the SIM holder), reliable and can't be stolen. In the past people stole SIMs out of our industrial hardware for use in phones.
Re: (Score:2)
What is peculiar is that the SIMs have no home network and are always in roaming state.
Re: (Score:2)
Thank you! This part of your post justifies their existence IMO:
they are good for industrial applications because ... can't be stolen. In the past people stole SIMs out of our industrial hardware for use in phones.
Re: (Score:2)
THAT is what the summary should say. Not that it "...is designed to be remotely provisioned by mobile network operators with subscription information and is globally interoperable across all carriers, device makers a..." Gahhh Editorssss!!!!
Re: (Score:1)
Windows phones (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
HP released Elite x3 in 2016.
Re: (Score:2)
Alcatel does
Re: (Score:2)
If you do go to the site its full of business "news" from India.
Re: (Score:2)
Because TFS was written by a marketer, there's no hint of what this magical technology might be good for. Except for the fact that it's Windows 10, which was also written by marketers.
Apparently switching SIMs (typically while traveling abroad) is so much trouble that "they", out of their boundless kindness no doubt, have a "solution" for you: reprogram it remotely so you could switch mobile carriers just by going to the settings page on your smartphone. Me? I'd rather trust my fat fingers than some company or some service that might work as advertised or not, thank you very much.
Incidentally, Apple has been talking about this for a while [macworld.com] -- another reason to steer clear of it.
RT.
Re: (Score:2)
Do NSA and GCHQ still have Gemalto's keys? (Score:1)
"In February, 2015 it was reported by The Intercept that the NSA and GCHQ had stolen the encryption keys (Ki's) used by Gemalto (the manufacturer of 2 billion SIM cards annually), enabling these intelligence agencies to monitor voice and data communications without the knowledge or approval of cellular network providers or judicial oversight [...]"
( from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/ind... [wikipedia.org])
Am I the only one thinking that it's a Bad Idea (TM) to solder such things into the device?
(the Captcha-bot thinks as I d
Is it (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
We have [slashdot.org] read [slashdot.org] about this company before on this site. They are *the* company who makes SIM cards. Which also means they are a one stop shop for nation state hacking attempts. Get your code into the SIM firmware and you have just bypassed a lot of security.
Re: (Score:2)
Get your code into the SIM firmware and you have just bypassed a lot of security
The rest of your post is correct, but it's more true to say that if you get your code into the SIM firmware then you've bypassed a small amount of quite weak encryption.
Re: (Score:2)
They (or another company they acquired) used to be known as SafeNet. We were evaluating their cloud-based multifactor auth system and liked it, more than the RSA SecurID / Auth Manager setup that we've had for years.
But They Who Sign Checks Without A Clue told us we have to implement Azure MFA instead.
One of the big smartcard manufacturers (Score:2)
HID is another one.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Gemalto's website, without adblocking... (Score:1)
Description of eSIM technology, from the source:
http://www.gemalto.com/iot/consumer-electronics/embedded-sim-uicc
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
The eSim isn't necessarily a software device. Think TPM.
"Upcoming new generation of SIM is called e-SIM or eSIM (embeddedSIM), which is non-replaceable embedded chip in SON-8 package which may be soldered directly onto a circuit board. It will have M2M and remote SIM provisioning capabilities."
It's just that rather than having to produce secure, tiny, portable, replaceable chips, they build a chip into the device that can be programmed (maybe only one or a limited number of times, or only with a signed upd
Re: (Score:2)
It probably won't be a software device any time soon. SIMs are actually quite complex little beasts, mostly ARM based System on Chip devices that run Java. They implement a variety of cryptographic and storage functions that allow the phone/modem to connect to the network in a way that prevents you simply overwriting the ID with someone else's and having them get billed for all your calls.
So at the very least the networks would probably want it to be running in some kind of secure space, where apps and mali
Implicit Carrier Locking (Score:2)
Because now you can't go out, buy your own device and plug the SIM card into it. You need to have your carrier 'provision' it. If they feel like doing so.
Re: (Score:2)
progress!
don't need it... I am with Three! (Score:2)
I am currently in Malta on a quick business trip and my phone works as normal with unlimited data,minutes and texts as per my contract.
So this is nothing I need to bother with ever really as i doubt I will have a reason to travel to any country not on the feel at home list.