Product category:
Memory Devices and Modules
News Release from: M-Systems | Subject: GIGAntIC
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 17 February 2005
Novel SIM brings smart card and Flash
together
Oberthur Card Systems and M-Systems have joined forces to develop the first ever USIM (Universal Subscriber Identification Module) card with high capacity external Flash memory.
In a world where convergence between networks and technologies, identification and personal data sharing are key issues for mobile operators and subscribers, Oberthur Card Systems and M-Systems have joined forces to develop the first ever USIM (Universal Subscriber Identification Module) card with high capacity external Flash memory At a meeting of senior mobile industry executives held at the 3GSM Congress in Cannes, France, Oberthur Card Systems and M-Systems demonstrated GIGAntIC, the first fully functional 128Mbyte USIM card working in a standard GSM handset
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 16 Nov 2006 at 8.00am (UK)
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USIM cards like GIGAntIC, which are empowered by M-Systems' MegaSIM technology, are expected to become the mobile operators' preferred storage solution for secure mobile multimedia content and services.
Founded on MegaSIM technology, GIGAntIC combines standard USIM functionality, 128Mbyte of secure high-capacity external Flash memory, USB and MMC high speed data protocols, a 32bit secure processor and full crypto-functionality.
Today's demonstration - in which music, video and textual data were securely stored on the GIGAntIC card and easily accessed via the handset - crucially shows that the technological barriers hindering development of the USIM as a platform for mobile services have been eradicated.
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The path is now open for operators to change the way they interact with their customers, and the way users enjoy and benefit from their mobile experience.
The strategic co-operation recently announced between Oberthur Card Systems and M-Systems illustrates that advanced Flash memory and smart card technology can complement each other in delivering an answer to the memory requirements being demanded of modern day handsets.
It also shows that high-speed data interfaces enhance overall USIM performance and high level cryptographic security can provide security at levels never previously considered feasible.
This increased functionality will grant mobile operators much greater scope to tailor products and services, helping to address the key industry challenge of reducing customer churn, and offer them the optimal storage solution for the delivery of secure mobile multimedia content and services.
GIGAntIC cards are pushing the envelope in handset memory and will require operators, handset vendors and other mobile stakeholders to consider the strategic role and unique intrinsic value that the MegaSIM empowered USIM cards bring to their offerings.
In the emerging 3G world - where multimedia content such as MMS (multimedia messages), pictures and video downloads are expected to be widely used - memory capability and interface speeds are crucial issues.
The new GIGAntIC card provides subscribers with increased storage capacity and fast interfaces, allowing for simple storage of, and access to, MP3 files (several albums), Java games, video clips, pictures and personal settings.
In addition, as all personal data and settings can be stored in the USIM card, all such data can be easily moved to a new phone in a standardised way during upgrades or exchanges.
Moreover, once installed, users benefit from a removable memory platform that can be upgraded with great ease.
"With the advent of the new GIGAntIC card, Oberthur Card Systems is once again at the forefront of smart card design for the telecoms market".
"We foresee a paradigm shift taking place whereby the USIM card is no longer merely another item in the operator's cost of business, instead becoming a new resource for increasing revenues and service level", comments Marc Bertin, Business Development Director at Oberthur Card Systems.
"As the vast majority of handsets are purchased by operators, there is a massive opportunity in the market for a secure operator provisioned SIM card with high capacity memory".
"We are very confident indeed that mobile operators will embrace the GIGAntIC card, as it will provide them with a platform for generating new services, content, applications and, of course, revenue streams", comments Mishael Agami, General Manager of M-Systems' Data Trust Division.
"Our codevelopment with Oberthur Card Systems successfully integrates its industry leading network software and GSM operating systems onto our MegaSIM platform".
"The results are compelling", Agami added.
Thanks to M-Systems' MegaSIM technology, the GIGAntIC card leverages an optimal combination of the most advanced and proven technologies to provide: high capacity external NAND Flash memory with densities ranging up to 256Mbyte by the end of 2005; superior Flash memory management with M-Systems' TrueFFS software controller; smart card security applications including DRM, encryption, random number generator, PKI and RSA; high speed data protocols including USB and MMC; high performance 32bit processor for advanced functionality; backwards compatibility with industry standards for end-user convenience; cost and size economies compared with other memory offerings; and scalability, transferability, interoperability and programmability.
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