[LINK] Numbering/identification systems

Kim Holburn kim at holburn.net
Fri Oct 29 21:46:33 AEDT 2010


Don't we already have SIMS that can work in different devices?  What's the problem this is a solution to, again?  

As I understand it the reason iPhones are locked in to a carrier is because carriers want it that way and it's part of the contract.  You can buy an unlocked iPhone outright and put any SIM into it.  You certainly can in Europe.  Don't know about Australia.  You do have to pay full value for it though.  If you buy a locked phone on a contract the phone company will find a way of locking it, no matter what else happens or they probably won't sell it to you so cheap.  How is this going to change anything?  Locked phones is a financial, contractual problem, which no technical fix is going to alter.

In Japan they already use phones to make small transactions.


On 2010/Oct/28, at 5:50 PM, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:

> Bernard writes,
> 
>> The person needs to be  decoupled from the device - just like an 
>> internet address is decoupled from a physical location. The question 
>> would appear to be - who owns the information that links the person to 
>> a device at a particular moment in time. The side issues of potential
>> solutions then fall very much into the domain of privacy and risk.
> 
> 
> How about a multi-device SIM & RFID card, swap-able in any IT device? 
> 
> Eg, one sort-of developing example .. 
> 
> Apple developing open SIM for iPhone service, RFID sales
> 
> By Daniel Eran Dilger  http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/10/
> 
> Apple is reportedly working with chip manufacturer Gemalto to deliver an 
> iPhone SIM card capable of working with multiple carriers. The deal 
> likely also involves authentication for contactless, RFID mobile 
> transactions.
> 
> According to a report by Gigaom, the codeveloped SIM would be integrated 
> into future iPhones to enable users to activate service without having to 
> call or visit a mobile carrier after purchasing their phone. 
> 
> Instead, users will be able to shop for service from competing carriers 
> right as they purchase their phone. 
> 
> Currently, users must set up a contract with and obtain a special, 
> carrier-specific (and carrier-locked) SIM card from a given provider 
> after they purchase their iPhone.
> 
> The new Gemalto SIM, the report notes, "is embedded in a chip that has an 
> upgradeable flash component and a ROM area. The ROM area contains data 
> provided by Gemalto with everything related to IT and network security, 
> except for the carrier-related information. The flash component will 
> receive the carrier related data via a local connection which could be 
> the PC or a dedicated device, so it can be activated on the network. 
> 
> Gemalto will provide the back-end infrastructure that allows service and 
> number provisioning on the carrier network." 
> 
> In addition to saving iPhone customers the step of having to visit a 
> mobile provider to obtain a carrier-specific SIM, a programable SIM could 
> also enable users to roam across regions and obtain service without 
> requiring a unique SIM for each different location. 
> 
> Open SIM, contactless transactions 
> 
> While observers have hailed the concept as a way for Apple to open up the 
> market for phone service to increased competition, a larger aspect of the 
> reported Gemalto-Apple partnership is likely to involve NFC (near field 
> communications), a technology that enables users to authenticate 
> themselves with electronic terminals in order to make retail purchases, 
> obtain tickets, and perform other transactions using RFID (radio 
> frequency identification).
> 
> Gemalto already operates as a Trusted Server Manager to facilitate 
> secure, contactless purchases using NFC technology. Additionally, Apple 
> has already filed patents and hired a product manager, and has reportedly 
> started testing prototypes of iPhones using NFC features.
> 
> Working with an established NFC expert to deliver a SIM-based way to make 
> contactless transactions from iPhones could quickly establish Apple as a 
> major player in handling secure authentication for convenient retail 
> transactions. 
> 
> --
> 
> Cheers,
> Stephen
> _______________________________________________
> Link mailing list
> Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
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-- 
Kim Holburn
IT Network & Security Consultant
T: +61 2 61402408  M: +61 404072753
mailto:kim at holburn.net  aim://kimholburn
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