ITU news: Gemplus releases the first 3G SIM card

date: 8th December 2000, source: BIEN PEREZ, ITU

Smart card manufacturer Gemplus has released to select network operators in Asia what it claims is the first SIM (subscriber identity module) card toolkit meant for third-generation (3G) cellular phone services.

Called GemXplore 3G, the offering includes a universal subscriber identity module (USIM) card, a USIM Java card, and the software program for testing, training and application development.

"This USIM evaluation kit, with card samples and reader, was recently selected by three wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA) operators in Asia to help deliver planned 3G services," said Philippe Vallee, executive vice-president at Gemplus Asia-Pacific.

Mr Vallee declined to identify these Gemplus clients, but pointed out that there were very few operators today in the region with 3G-ready infrastructure to test and support the GemXplore product.

Japanese wireless Internet service providers NTT DoCoMo and J-Phone have announced plans to roll out the world's first 3G cellular networks in 2001.

When the service becomes available, 3G wireless subscribers are supposed to benefit from "always-on" high-speed Internet access, mobile electronic commerce, location-based services, personalised message services, and audio and video streaming.

Ron Black, Gemplus vice-president and general manager for next-generation networks, said future deployment of the company's GemXplore SIM toolkit would pave the way for operators to offer smart card-based global 3G roaming.

"With a universally compatible, removable smart card, 3G mobile subscribers will have the freedom to roam worldwide, and operators will have the capacity to develop and deploy mobile services tailored to their subscribers' needs," Mr Black said.

SIM cards and SIM-related software and services enable cellular phone service operators to provide a wide range of value-added services over their networks.

At present, the roll-out of many proposed 3G networks and services must rely on industry initiatives to standardise the evolution of second-generation wireless communications infrastructure. Wireless network operators today must choose between three roads that are all supposed to lead to 3G service capabilities.

For networks based on the global system for mobile communications (GSM) wireless standard, the road to 3G is represented by the universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS). This system is to be deployed in Europe, Japan and other parts of Asia.

UMTS offers a consistent set of services to mobile phone and computer users worldwide and data transmission rates of up to two megabits per second. W-CDMA is a protocol that is supposed to best represent this effort by the GSM community.

A 3G standard called CDMA 2000, developed by Qualcomm, is to be deployed in parts of the United States and Asia.

And a standard called TDMA-EDGE, or Time Division Multiple Access - Enhanced Data Rates For Global Evolution, offers second-generation enhanced services and 3G-compliant high-speed wireless data and Internet access technology. This technology is being deployed in most of the United States, countries in South America and certain parts of Asia.

"GemXplore features a new smart card operating system design built around Java and the latest 3GPP standard requirements," Mr Black said.

The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is an alliance of standards bodies and industry consortia from around the world producing specifications for 3G mobile communications technology.

"Gemplus smart card technology has been driving the worldwide development of wireless services since 1990, when SIM cards were introduced into the GSM standard. And we intend to get our smart card solutions included in 3G systems across the globe," Mr Vallee said.

Prototypes for the Gemplus 3G smart cards feature one- and two-megabit memory storage capacity to handle the data-rich applications expected to be offered with 3G cellular services on handsets and personal digital assistants.

Although Gemplus has already shipped 32-kilobit (Kb) capacity SIM cards to the market, the average storage size on SIM cards is 16 Kb.

Mr Black said development was ongoing at Gemplus to enhance the GemXplore 3G card's security functions and multi-application capabilities based on 3GPP-led standardisation efforts.

Gemplus has two 3G development teams in place today, one in Japan and another in France, where the company is headquartered.

The GemXplore toolkit's release follows Gemplus' introduction of another version of GemXplore designed for use on GSM- and CDMA-standard phones.

Today's CDMA handsets do not offer SIM card capability, which hinders the ability of CDMA network subscribers to benefit from international roaming similar to what GSM subscribers are used to.

In addition, CDMA operators are developing services directly embedded in the mobile handset.

This October, Gemplus, along with the mainland's second nationwide wireless communications carrier, China Unicom, performed the world's first live demonstration of a SIM card for use with CDMA and GSM mobile handsets in Beijing.

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