Energize your mobile services with interoperable SIM platforms for rapid mass market access to innovative services

3GSM World Congress, Cannes, France, February 18, 2002

SIMalliance's main achievements for 2001:

• Java Card™ SIM (subscriber identity module) interoperability support tools, created to accelerate progress towards full seamless interoperability of GSM Java applets.
• The SIMalliance Toolbox latest release (S@T) and its interoperability guidelines.
• All those specifications and tools are now freely available on-line at www.simalliance.org.
• SIMalliance is an initiative open to key GSM players worldwide.

The SIM card today plays an essential role in mobile value-added services with more than 90% of GSM operators having launched SIMToolkit and SIM-based services.

"S@T and Java Card SIM offer complementary standard interoperable platforms for quick, mass market, mobile services delivery" said Jean-Philippe Bétoin, Chairman of SIMalliance. "Thanks to these mature open standards, GSM operators are now fully benefiting from unique SIM card features, such as low development costs , enhanced time-to-market and robustness. The SIM Card, as a mobile services enabler, now offers more wireless data services than ever, providing the best value-for-money location-based services support, unique SMS-based content push capabilities and the cheapest way to boost SMS usage.

We forecast an even bigger uptake of SIM-based services in 2.5/3G networks where the inherent trust, payment and easy, secure, service provisioning become necessary for new service penetration.

In this context, SIMalliance is playing an essential role as an incubator and enabler of new SIM-based services, ensuring the consistent integration of SIM cards into the new mobile landscape. Following this policy, SIMalliance made major achievements during 2001 and thanks to the open, concrete, participation of key industry players. We have more ambitions in 2002 as we face the challenge of providing a better integration of SIM cards with smart phones and new mobile services."

Java Card Interoperability
Java card SIM has a record track that makes it among the most mature platform for mobile service delivery. The flexibility, security, ease and rapid development cycle of Java technology has made it the leading open standard for the smart card industry, and the GSM community in particular. By providing clearly defined "stepping stones" to interoperability, including guidelines and tools, the SIMalliance Java Interoperability Group helps network operators and their partners bring new services to market quickly and efficiently. Furthermore, this will allow them to take full benefit from new delivery channels such as point of sale, the web, and OTA (other the air) servers.

S@T - The SIMalliance Toolbox

SIM-browsing technology S@T is the first global specification for accessing mobile internet content on GSM phase 2+ phones. From late 2000, with its first commercial successes, S@T has been meeting a broad customer acceptance during 2001 and S@T roll out shows good perspectives for 2002.

S@T offers clear benefits to the mobile community, such as rapid mass market penetration of mobile internet services with a technology based on existing mobile infrastructure (SMS, Phase2+ handsets) and open industry standards (e.g., XML and SIMToolkit).

The latest release of S@T specifications is now available to the industry, offering long-awaited exclusive features such as end-to-end security as well as content push and location services.

From this new specification set, SIMalliance has also developed and conducted a range of interoperability test suite and tests between its members to achieve industry-grade interoperability standards.

More to come during 2002

SIMalliance will develop further its actions during 2002, with a specific focus on:

• helping the integration of new generation SIM cards and smart phones - with mobile services evolving to data, the SIM card will play an increasingly important role in enabling and securing next generation services. The first SIMalliance action on this topic will be to support a SIM API (application program interface) in smart phones.
• strengthen its work on S@T and Java card SIM - these two technology set will continue to evolve with the support of SIMalliance members.

To enhance the efficiency and availability of SIM-based services, SIMalliance also plans to multiply partnerships and concrete workshops with key mobile industry forums and GSM players for whom the SIM card plays a vital role in their revenue generation chain, to energize and secure their new services.

This will ensure proper definition and development of next generation SIM-based services that directly respond to customer needs.

To get full details of SIMalliance and freely download its work or learn how to join, visit us at www.simalliance.org

About Gemplus

About SIMalliance

SIMalliance:

• acts as an incubator for SIM card enhancements to be proposed to standardization bodies and industry forums
• boosts adoption of innovative and interoperable SIM card solutions
• eases the integration of the SIM card in the new mobile data architecture and services landscape.
• SIMalliance promotes key functionalities and usages of the SIM card that help energize the new generation of mobile services.

Contacts