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By Michael Moore
Global mobile watchdog GSMA has unveiled its Embedded SIM Specification, which it says will help accelerate the growth of the connected car market by providing a framework for manufacturers to follow when developing new devices.
This new specification, which already has the backing of major manufacturers such as General Motors, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Volvo, should cut down on development time and costs, meaning more smart cars on the road in a shorter space of time.
Drive On
Connected cars have become a particularly vibrant growth sector in recent months, as carmakers look to offer their customers a wide range of new services to complement their mobile-friendly lifestyle. The GSMA says that its specification will benefit those companies wanting to add services such as infotainment, real-time navigation, insurance and breakdown services, as well as telematics and remote diagnostics.
But the new specification will also allow these vehicles to be quickly connected with local operators, no matter their location, which could be a lifesaving feature in certain cases. So far, 22 mobile operators across the world have launched solutions based on the GSMA Embedded SIM Specification.
“The GSMA Embedded SIM Specification has progressed from the first availability of commercial solutions to industry adoption in a very short space of time,” said Alex Sinclair, chief technology officer at the GSMA. “The automotive sector is set for huge growth and it is clear that a common, global standard will help mobile operators to provide scalable, reliable and secure connectivity to vehicles regardless of location,”
“This approach will help car manufacturers offer any type of in-car connected service through a single SIM, which can be provisioned with the profile of a mobile operator once the car is shipped, as well as at the end of a contract, without the SIM needing to be changed.”
Secured
The GSMA also announced today the new guidelines designed to promote security around the growing number of new Internet of things services.
The guidelines, which have been developed alongside leading companies within the mobile industry, and is backed by major operators including AT&T, China Telecom, Orange, Telefónica, and Verizon, offers advice on tackling common cyber-security threats, as well as addressing the leading data privacy issues associated with IoT services.
“As billions of devices become connected in the Internet of things, offering innovative and interconnected new services, the possibility of potential vulnerabilities increases,” Sinclair noted.
“These can be overcome if the end-to-end security of an IoT service is carefully considered by the service provider when designing their service and an appropriate mitigating technology is deployed. A proven and robust approach to security will create trusted, reliable services that scale as the market grows.”