More Ways to Connect Mobile and IoT Devices: From Sim to eSim to rSIM and Beyond

The world today would be almost unimaginable without connecting and communicating using smartphones and mobile networks.

But the immense power of network connectivity and the mobile phone depends on a small, sometimes dropped, and often overlooked component: the SIM card. It’s not being overlooked now, having evolved from physical card to a digital program to a programmable multi-function tool that’s set to unlock amazing possibilities for consumers and businesses alike.

More than 30 years ago, the German security tech firm Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) played a key role in launching the first commercial SIM card.

The global company (now with manufacturing facilities in Markham, Ontario) describes how the “subscriber identity module”, that tiny plastic chip that slides into your phone, was first used to hold the identifying data that your phone and your service provider needed to make a connection.

Over time, the physical card became smaller, shrinking down to micro- and nano-sized cards. Then came the shift from physical cards to embedded digital versions, known as eSIMs (embedded or electronic SIMs).

So, starting as a simple plastic authentication device, the SIM card is evolving into a digital, multi-functional, connectivity, security, and applications tool; it’s being used in anything from connected cars to telehealth systems, mobile banking, industrial processes and more.

eSIMs are seen as economical, convenient and flexible, in many situations and for consumers and providers alike: a mobile phone service contract can be activated in just minutes, including identity verification. Switching providers no longer requires swapping out physical SIM cards (and occasionally dropping, even losing them). ESIMs are said to enhance security by being embedded right in the device, so they – and the important personal identifying information they contain – cannot be physically removed or lost.

Additionally, eSIMs are more eco-friendly, with a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional SIM cards (it’s estimated some five billion cards, constructed with PVC, plastic, and valuable trace minerals, have been made so far; unfortunately, many are now part of a global plastics and e-waste problem).

Nevertheless, the core function remains the same: to verify a user’s credentials and establish a secure and reliable connection. Without SIM, mobile communications would not be possible. But we’re connecting a lot more than just phones now: the Internet of Things (IoT) promises to connect billions of smart devices so that they all work together seamlessly, often with real-time functionality.

Consumer applications and smart home-centric uses for IoT abound, from front doorbells and baby cams to indoor temperature control to what’s in the fridge or on TV.

But the real growth in IoT is expected in business, driving smart manufacturing and supply chain management, monitoring building automation and site security, assessing inventory and much more. Enterprise IoT connects a company’s physical assets together so they can be used to generate insightful operational data, helping businesses operate more efficiently and economically.

Sometimes existentially. The important connected medical and monitoring devices used in telehealth and remote care, for example, are certainly dependant on resilient, always on connectivity. Less crucial but widely used, micro-mobility applications like package delivery and tracking rely on real-time connections, too. The broadcast and media industry (and institutional or surveillance uses of devices like CCTV and body-worn cameras) are also dependent on resilient, reliable connections for live event connections and streaming coverage. Smart vehicles, and the EV stations they will need to stay charged, must also be continuously connected.

Enter rSIM, for resilient SIM. It’s a kind of SIM card that can do what other SIMs do, while also evaluating and enhancing device connectivity to maintain the all-important ‘always on’ mode that our hyper-connected world requires.

When – not if – disruptions occur, rSIMs have been developed with the smarts to detect them and switch to a stored backup mobile operator profile (when the two operators have separate core infrastructures, it’s referred to as Dual Core connectivity). By embedding intelligence in the SIM card itself, rSIM is offering new connectivity solutions for mobile operators, service providers, and IoT device users alike.

rSIM (not the device it’s in) tests the data connection every 30 or so (depending on pre-selected parameters); it is checking that the connection is on, not checking its latency, speed or bandwidth.

If rSIM detects a loss of connection, it will pause for a second to give the network, the device, or the operator time to re-establish the connection. If there’s no connection re-established in a pre-determined amount of time, rSIM will switch to the backup profile. It’s like you’re removing a physical SIM and replacing it with a new one, but it a programmed and automatic process.

rSIM is a patented technology developed by the CSL Group. Built on standards established by the international mobile operator organization GSMA, rSIM is designed to be device-agnostic, in that it integrates resilience directly into the SIM itself, testing connections directly from the SIM, and autonomously switching to a backup when connectivity is lost. With Canada expected to reach 20 million IoT connections by 2030, according to GSMA Intelligence, the need for reliable connectivity is growing critical. Transforma Insights has predicted that by 2030, 68 per cent of IoT connections will require always on, real-time connectivity, a figure projected to rise to 83 per cent by 2033.

Rogers, a major Canadian wireless provider, announced recently that it is working with rSIM to deliver always-on connectivity tailored for critical IoT uses.

The collaboration with rSIM strengthens connectivity for Canadian businesses, Lloyd Fernandes, Strategic Account Manager, Global IoT, Connected Vehicles & M2M Partnerships, Rogers Communications, said when announcing the new offerings. He added it will enable global enterprises to operate more effectively in Canada’s highly connected and rapidly evolving market.

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