Embedded SIM Design Means No More Swapping Cards 192
judgecorp writes "A new remotely-programmable embedded SIM design from the GSMA operators' group means that devices can be operated on the Internet of things and won't have to be opened up to have their SIM card changed if they move to a different operator. The design could speed up embedded applications."
Who, exactly, gets to send over the air updates? (Score:5, Informative)
To fix this issue, the GSMA has developed a non-removable SIM that can be embedded in a device for the duration of its life, and remotely assigned to a network. This information can be subsequently modified over-the-air, as many times as necessary.
What this seems to do is take control away from the user, who could swap SIM cards, and give it to some carrier. This looks like something where you beg and plead with your old carrier to let you switch your device to a new carrier. There's a lot of elaborate key management in this system, and compromise of certain keys could break the whole system.
Spec for the system architecture. [gsma.com]
Re:why? (Score:2, Informative)
RTFA. They're not talking about phones; they're talking about assorted Internet-of-Things devices--how your toaster and your microwave talk to your Roomba.
Do you want your smart electric meter to stop talking to your electric company because they're switching network standards and don't have time to send a technician to change SIM chips in every meter in the city? With this, your meter can be reprogrammed to connect to an updated network without a service call to your house.
Of course, if someone hacks the network and reprograms your meter, that's bad. But don't we have the same risk now? And if this allows your electric company to update your meter to a more secure protocol on the fly, that's a good thing, isn't it?
The Internet of Things isn't a thing (Score:4, Informative)
It's marketing, like "the cloud". It's such a gross oversimplification that it's meaningless.