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User:Bouvierjr/Automatic SIM activation

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SIM activation is the process of setting up an unused SIM from the factory in order to enable user subscription to a carrier's network, i.e. allowing users to insert the SIM into a phone and place calls. Technically, SIM activation is concerned with associating the SIM's IMSI with an MSISDN. Traditional activation often involves pre-provisioning this information into the operator's IT systems (BSS and OSS) so that the SIM is active as soon as it is placed in a handset. However, automatic SIM activation (ASA) seeks to minimise such costly pre-provisioning tasks and perform the provisioning at the moment the SIM is placed into the handset and powered up.

History[edit]

The first SIM card was made in 1991 by Munich smart-card maker Giesecke & Devrient, who sold the first 300 SIM cards to the Finnish wireless network operator Radiolinja.[1][2] The first projects for automatic SIM activation started in 2008. One successful deployment took place in 2009 in preps for the 2010 soccer world cup. This deployment enabled easy activation of new subscribers during the event with minimal upfront costs for the operator.

Benefits[edit]

SIMalliance estimated total SIMs shipped in 2013 to be 4.85 billion units [3]. With this SIM volume, any flexibility and automation of the activation process will yield a great benefit to the mobile operators and consumers alike. There are several benefits for the operator attained from automatic SIM activations compared to traditional ones.

  • simplification of the SIM supply chain - SIMs are often tailored to a particular service package at the factory. ASA allows use of any SIM and adapting it to any service the customer my wish to choose. Consequently, SIMs can become one type that fits all applications. This in tern lowers the cost of managing the supply chain and the distribution channels for the operator.
  • postponement of resource consumptions - As HLR business models rely heavily on the number of entries in their IT database, regardless of whether these data represent active revenue generating users, not yet activated users, or dormant ones that have long moved out of the operators network, the operator often overpays in these fees. ASA postpones these charges until they are actually needed.
  • user interaction - Mobile activation involves several steps often done at the operator's point of sale. Those start with identification of the subscriber, followed by registration and end with the choice of the needed service package. With ASA, the final step of package selection can be done remotely at the users comfort. This interaction can enable selection of golden phone numbers, Vanity numbers, or additional services the operator wishes to offer at the time. The high attention span during which the activation process takes place allows good return on pushed promotions to the operator. Additionally, the automated nature of such offers allows tailoring offers to the users' profile. This in tern enables offering of unlimited choices that can't be attained in traditional means.

Process flow[edit]

Traditional activation:

  1. custom SIM is manufactured and distributed
  2. OSS/BSS resources are locked
  3. service packages are defined and locked
  4. customer performs his identification and registration in store
  5. customer is offered limited predefined packages
  6. customer is connected to the network

Automatic SIM activation (ASA):

  1. generic SIM is manufactured and distributed
  2. customer performs his identification and registration in store
  3. customer activates his device at home
  4. offers get tailored to customer's profile
  5. OSS/BSS resources are provisioned
  6. customer is connected to the network

Implementations[edit]

There are several ways to implement subscriber automatic SIM activation. The most commonly used in the market is the use of pre-loaded Java applets in the SIM. Applets allow invocation of a web-browser on the device and thus manage user to operator interaction through that interface. Other implementations seek less dependence on any pre-loaded content or SIM types. Those latter implementations, such as the ones offered by Buzzinbees can withstand a much wider variety of user handsets, and operator's supply mix of SIMs.

Providers[edit]

There are several key players in the market today offering competitive solutions for automatic SIM activation.

  1. Buzzinbees with a product named Bee-SOON.
  2. Evolving systems who name their product DSA
  3. HP with a product named DSP

Machine to machine-to-machine (M₂M) activations[edit]

Similar to mobile phones, mobile devices can also be connected to an operator. Typical applications include transportation fleets that regularly and automatically report their location to a centralised service, user tablets that allow user data connection via cellular network, or point of sale POS terminals that need to interact with a central money exchange. Per GSMA, M₂M connected devices are projected to grow to xxx, thus justifying the need for efficient activation attained by automatic SIM activation.

External links[edit]

  1. Buzzinbees
  2. HP
  3. Evolving systems
  4. Pyro
  5. MT
  6. ATS

References[edit]

  1. ^ Asif, Saad Z. (2011). Next Generation Mobile Communications Ecosystem. John Wiley & Sons. p. 306. ISBN 1119995817.
  2. ^ History of Giesecke & Devrient
  3. ^ "SIMalliance Reports 4.2 Billion Global SIM Shipments in 2013". simalliance/. SIMalliance. (2nd paragraph). Retrieved 3 June 2014.
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