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GreenRoam signs Soft SIM deal

Roaming costs for mobile telephony and data have been an issue for decades. To try and reduce the cost for consumers and business users inside Europe, the European Commission has forced operators to scrap a large percentage of their charges. Unfortunately, this only applies to European SIM users not those from other countries and when Europeans travel outside of the continent, they are still subject to large costs.

GreenRoam, owned by Taisys, has announced a deal with China Mobile Hong Kong to deliver prepaid SIM products using Over The Air (OTA) provisioning to customers. Using the slimduet® app, a GreenRoam technology, the Soft SIM is downloaded onto the users phone.

When they arrive at their destination, the Soft SIM will connect to the local network allowing the user to use local prepaid rates for airtime and data rather than pay roaming rates. The savings to end users will be significant and this will appeal not only to consumers but especially to businesses.

The big appeal for businesses will be data access. With companies moving increasing amounts of data to the cloud, there is a need for ensure that users have access to mobile data services. With roaming WiFi access not just patchy but prone to interception, companies want a more secure solution and this could be it.

The underlying technology which is owned by Taisys is not just about reducing mobile bills. SIMoME technology, also known as Slim SIM, is designed to separate the main SIM from value-added functions. Among the markets that Taisys has been targeting are banking, mobile payment and secure ID.

Each of these services is run in an encrypted virtual space on the SIM which means that it can be managed separately from the SIM. It also provides operators with the option of selling additional services to businesses and government. All of these services can be equipped with remote wipe capabilities so when a device is lost, the user data can be deleted before it can be accessed by the criminals.

The GreenRoam deal is the first to involve an operators and provide OTA support for prepaid SIM. With companies pushing hard into the mobile space, it will be interesting to see how European and US financial institutions and mobile operators take to the technology.

Large operators could see this as a chance to engage with their big customers to offer Soft SIM services. These could include mobile identity solutions for accessing corporate networks and even mobile applications that then connect to the cloud. Another option would be to go after the core market that Taisys is also targeting, online banking and sales applications.

While there are business opportunities the mainstream mobile operators are unlikely to risk their lucrative roaming revenue. In Europe and other areas, many of them see the roaming revenue as the reason they paid so much for access to frequencies that allow them to offer 3G and 4G services. With 5G coming up which is likely to see another round of expensive auctions, they are keen to protect their revenues.

This opens the door for mobile virtual network operators (MVNO) such as Three. They already allows customers to take advantage of their existing airtime and data contracts in several countries without paying roaming charges. The GreenRoam service would allow Three to now offer customers prepaid access and extend their low-cost support.



Source: https://www.business-cloud.com/articles/news/greenroam-signs-soft-sim-deal

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