After many years of conceptualisation, Mobile Network Operator (MNO) migration to 5G is gathering pace.
By 2025, 5G technology will have reached up to 65% of the world population and generate 45% of the world’s total mobile traffic.[1]
5G will play a fundamental role in enabling new solutions across various use-cases, including connected car, enhanced mobile broadband, massive IoT applications, and critical communication infrastructures.
MNOs, and other mobile industry stakeholders including device manufacturers, chipset makers and service providers, are working to offer customers the best possible experience, services, security and privacy, while optimising their investments.
Recommended 5G SIM
The Trusted Connectivity Alliance has worked collaboratively to develop guidelines that promote the highest levels of security, privacy and functionality in 5G networks, and help stakeholders across the mobile industry unlock the full potential of 5G as future use-cases and possibilities unfold.
TCA’s ‘Recommended 5G SIM’ document helps mobile network operators MNOs maximise investments in core 5G network infrastructure by selecting the right choice of SIM technology at 5G launch. It does this by outlining the optimal technical features required by SIM technology for MNOs to leverage opportunities presented by 5G networks and address challenges posed by 5G migration.
The latest updates respond to powerful new features introduced by 3GPP Release 16 for 5G Phase 2 and are aimed at promoting trust, addressing emerging use cases across massive IoT applications, critical communication infrastructures and connected vehicles, and supporting the delivery of enhanced services.
Key new SIM features include: additional subscriber privacy protections; private network access across enterprises and industry verticals; and cellular vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. Various features to enable the delivery of improved mobile experiences are also identified, including: 5G roaming; network slicing support; trusted non-3GPP network access; and multi-device and multi-identity services.
[1] ‘Ericsson Mobility Report’, November 2019
The objective of this document is to guide implementers of versions 2.3 and version 2.3.1 of the eUICC Profile Package Technical Specification in case it is used in an eUICC developed according to version 2.2.1 or earlier of the GSMA Specification SGP.22 (RSP technical specification).
The objective of this document is to define the technical specification of a standard format to be used for the loading and installation of an interoperable Profile Package in any compliant eUICC.
The latest version of the specification includes major updates to support the remote loading of eSIM profiles onto network-constrained IoT devices, as well as full alignment with 3GPP Release 17 to enable enhanced 5G functionality and emerging use-cases. It also includes clarifications and guidance to further promote eSIM interoperability.This latest updates to the profile package include support for SCP11 and DNS Configuration.
A key update in Version 3.3 is the definition of a ‘lightweight’ IoT minimal profile to address the growing challenge of remotely managing network-constrained IoT devices. This makes it possible to provision a profile even when bandwidth is very limited, which is crucial to supporting the growing use of eSIM technology to enable various IoT use-cases and connectivity services.
The embedded UICC (eUICC), and the subsequent requirement for remote provisioning, has introduced the need for a number of operations, previously carried out in personalisation centres by individual UICC vendors, to be performed remotely in an open ecosystem.
This document specifies the structure and coding required to build, remotely load and install a profile in an eUICC.
It is intended primarily for Profile Creator providers, Profile Creator users (i.e. Mobile Network Operators or MNOs) and eUICC vendors in order for them to elaborate and exchange profiles with guaranteed interoperability.
The Profile Package, as technically specified in this document, represents the structure of data to be built by the Profile Creator and to be loaded in the eUICC in order for the eUICC to be personalised according to the content of the Profile Package.
This document has the objective of testing if a profile is correctly interpreted and correctly loaded on an eUICC. It provides a globally standardised means of testing products which implement Version 3.2, Version 3.1, Version 2.3.1, Version 2.2, or Version 2.1 of the eUICC Profile Package: Interoperable Format Technical Specification.
The Profile Elements defined in the test specification are provided separately in ASN1 format. It is mandatory to use the ASN1 files for the creation of the DER codes.
The Specific_ASN1_definitions shall be used when creating the DER code for Test Case 8.2.11.4 (Check unknown tag in Profile Package) at least for the DF-CUSTOM-by-Generic-File-Management-4 profile element.
The Test Applets used in the Profile Packages are provided as an informative attachment of the specification.
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