MWC Barcelona 2024 once more delivered 4 days of vibrant dialogue and networking, convening business leaders, and attendees throughout the cell ecosystem to debate traits. With over 90,000+ attendees, it showcased how the telecoms sector can develop as an ecosystem and leverage the chance throughout the convergence of many applied sciences now catalyzing digital transformation with IoT, AI, and ML – by gadgets, companies, and experiences.
All through MWC Barcelona 2024, eSIM for IoT (SGP.32) remained a key space of dialogue and demand. Different large expertise disruptors, unsurprisingly, had been AI, the evolving nature of Non-public networks, and the emergence of Satellite tv for pc NTN connectivity.
Within the days main as much as the present, GSMA Intelligence launched the most recent version within the International Cellular Developments collection for 2024. This International Cellular Developments report examines essentially the most vital developments anticipated in 2024. These embody 5G’s subsequent wave, the impression of generative AI, 5G-Superior, new experiences from 5G-enabled companies akin to FWA, the way forward for leisure, cloud, and edge computing, personal wi-fi, eSIM, the rise of satellites, and sustainability methods.
This complete report attracts on GSMA Intelligence knowledge, survey findings, and business conversations to give attention to the traits that matter most and what they imply for these in telecoms and past.
Key Developments: 5G FWA, eSIM, AI, and NTN
A survey knowledgeable GSMA’s flagship analysis report of 100 operators globally to know their views on three principal areas of eSIM. When operators communicate to their enterprise clients about the advantages of eSIM for IoT deployments, safety, and scalability are the eSIM advantages most frequently included of their conversations to drive curiosity in eSIM deployments.
There’s a consensus amongst operators that enterprise calls for for eSIM-enabled options will develop throughout most industries throughout 2024–2025, with Sensible Cities main the way in which with options akin to eSIM-enabled sensible metering. Wanting additional forward, operators count on eSIM to account for 37% of the overall mobile IoT connections by 2030, adopted by the built-in SIM (iSIM) at 34% and the normal detachable SIM at 29%.
The survey outcome confirmed that managing giant fleets of gadgets, subscription administration, distant gadget patching, and device-to-cloud or chip-to-cloud safety are prime worth indicators for enterprise adoption of eSIM.
Will 5G FWA Develop Past a Area of interest Service?
The rising availability and affordability of 5G FWA CPE and modern tariffs are boosting the outlook for FWA globally. This rings notably true for areas with low fiber penetration, encompassing rising markets in addition to rural and distant areas in developed international locations.
Kigen is proud to have supported this insightful report and made a duplicate of the eSIM pattern report out there together with the opposite key traits.
The eSIM Promise
The eSIM promise is to permit distant over-the-air altering of the connectivity supplier to keep away from service lock-in and provides flexibility in selecting a supplier primarily based on the situation that fits the answer maker or OEM.
The brand new specification has decoupled this performance from the Connectivity Service Supplier perform. The Answer Maker can have an eSIM Service Administration Supplier (eSMP) unbiased from their CSP. They will negotiate contracts with one or many CSPs and make the eSIMs out there by their EIM server.
That is essentially the most sought-after characteristic of eSIM from the angle of Answer Makers. The spec will enable a normal mechanism for the ecosystem to work collectively, and the MNOs will have the ability to present companies extra cost-effectively in eSIMs.
One of the crucial vital modifications launched by the IoT eSIM specification was the SIM card (eUICC) primarily based IPA consumer (IPAe). The OEM independence it brings is gigantic for the IoT ecosystem.
Simplex Wi-fi is working along with Kigen to make use of their SIM card (eUICC) primarily based IPAe (out there on Kigen IOT (SGP.32) OS-powered playing cards) to speak with the Simplex EIM server. This showcases the flexibleness of the brand new specs for the answer makers to deploy IoT gadgets and swap eSMP suppliers.
Simplex Wi-fi is each an eSMP and a CSP. They supply these companies independently, that means {that a} Answer Maker can purchase both Simplex Wi-fi’ eSIM Administration as a Service or eSIMs or each, in no matter method suits their selecting.
It’s clear why the business is so excited in regards to the new specs coming to market and why SIM card-based eSIM administration is essential.
SGP.32: The New eSIM for IoT Spec
The GSMA SGP.31/32 specs launched in 2023 had been a scorching matter on the 5G IoT Summit. This new specification outcomes from a multi-year business collaboration to deal with vital challenges in distant administration. We commend this joint effort on the GSMA and thank all concerned, particularly Kigen’s Saïd Gharout, who has been instrumental in its formation.
SGP.32 Key Advantages
- Openness: any IoT eSIM can obtain any profile from any operator DP+ with out the complicated integration.
- Designed for LPWAN gadgets: versatile protocol help to obtain profiles over constrained bearers akin to NB-IoT or LTE-M.
- Flexibility in distant administration fashions: eIM “distant management” may very well be operated by many events and altered on the fly.
These have great advantages for securing the long run with AI, too – with IoT SAFE and the brand new SGP.42 for mass provisioning of profiles in factories.
Remaining IoT Scaling Challenges
- For the gadget maker to construct a single SKU and embed acceptable connectivity for the goal market the gadget is destined for within the manufacturing facility.
- How a tool within the area can securely activate the related eSIM subscription
Kigen has addressed each challenges by in-factory profile provisioning (IFFP) and dealing with the GSMA for its eSIM discovery service.
In-Manufacturing facility Profile Provisioning (IFFP)
IFFP is a comparatively new expertise that allows community operators and OEMs to provision eUICC profiles throughout gadget manufacturing. This permits gadgets to be shipped with a number of pre-provisioned profiles, which the tip consumer can activate. A report from Transforma Insights elaborates extra on the IFFP method taken by Kigen and notes:
“Not solely does In-Manufacturing facility Profile Provisioning (IFFP) ship most worth to unique tools producers OEMs by streamlining the meeting line manufacturing course of, but it surely additionally ensures out-of-the-box connectivity into every bit of {hardware}, with the popular native cell community each time wanted. Consequently, unique tools producers (OEMs) utilizing eSIM and IFPP can now streamline connectivity for big volumes of merchandise, akin to sensible meters, logistics trackers, and sensible wearables, earlier than they’re shipped to particular world locations. As well as, eSIM and distant SIM provisioning enable customers to modify networks within the area and combine numerous IoT functions to swimsuit their use case.” — Matt Hatton, Transforma Insights
Obtain the report right here to learn how IFPP accelerates gadget manufacturing.
Value Discount and Improved Buyer Expertise
IFPP presents diminished prices to the OEM with a single SKU, eliminating the necessity to ship gadgets with variants of eSIM and saving on transport, logistics, and testing prices. It presents improved buyer expertise to activate gadgets and provides OEMs extra flexibility with out-of-the-box connectivity with out human intervention.
The method will be offline or on-line to swimsuit the broadest vary of producing setups and profile loading instances. As IFPP can happen on manufacturing websites outdoors of GSMA SAS certification, it presents diminished administration and price in comparison with a normal SM-DP+ implementation.
Safe Activation within the Area
Subsequent, when a tool is within the area and end-users have to activate it with out worrying about acquiring a SIM or eSIM – this could typically show difficult. GSMA has been working to streamline subscriptions from MNO to the gadget to supply a easy onboarding expertise for all. Kigen participates on this effort and is enlisted as an accepted GSMA SM-DP+ service supplier!
The GSMA Discovery service is the tried and examined, GSMA standardized method of securely activating eSIM subscriptions when a tool is first switched on and desires to connect with the cell community operator of selection. The invention service matches the eSIM utilizing the EID identifier on the eUICC with the related operator’s eSIM profile.
