GCT Semiconductor teamed with Giesecke and Devrient to tackle what CEO John Schlaefer believes is a deficiency in the control and monitoring of IoT devices by employing eSIM capabilities.
The companies are teaming to develop an eSIM system compliant with GSMA SGP.32 specifications, incorporating Integrated Profile Activation Device capabilities to enable remote management of multi-network IoT devices.
GCT Semiconductor and Giesecke and Devrient stated their work would deliver “intelligent, location-aware connectivity to headless 4G and 5G IoT devices”.
They pledged a set-up providing “peak performance based on location, availability, cost and policy, an unprecedented advancement for mission-critical applications across industries”.
The deal will ultimately involve GCT Semiconductor incorporating the system into all future 4G and 5G chipsets.
Schlaefer explained the companies are filling a gap in the ability of many IoT devices to fully access remote SIM capabilities.
The GSMA SGP.32 provides technical specifications for remote management of eSIM-enabled IoT and other devices, along with details of the virtual module’s architecture, interfaces and security functions.
GCT Semiconductor and Giesecke and Devrient explained incorporating the GSMA specification and integrated profile set-up directly into the chip company’s 4G and 5G products would enable “out-of-the-box connectivity and flexible lifecycle management without the need for physical SIM swaps or user intervention”.
Giesecke and Devrient global head of digital connectivity solutions Bee Gek Lim said downloads of eSIMs provided by the company since a launch in 2012 now exceed 500 million.