Shulou(Shulou.com)06/03 Report--

[abstract] SIM cards are also used in Internet of things devices, so can Internet of things cards be transferred to the Internet with numbers? This article will take you to find out.

On December 1, 2019, the number transfer service was officially launched nationwide, and the related news continued to scan the screen.

I believe all Internet of things enthusiasts are curious about whether the Internet of things card can be transferred with a number. Today, the editor will unveil the mystery for you.

-first of all, let's take a look at what it means to transfer the network with a number.

Our mobile phone + SIM card actually has three numbers, MSISDN, IMSI and IMEI.

IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) International Mobile device Identification number, also known as the mobile phone serial number, is the status symbol of each mobile phone hardware. You can usually view the IMEI in the mobile phone "about this machine". Dual-card dual-standby phone, there will be two IMEI.

MSISDN (Mobile Station International ISDN Number), the international ISDN number of mobile station. Simply understand, MSISDN is our daily use of 135,159,185 these mobile phone numbers.

IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), international mobile subscriber identification number. The simple understanding is that IMSI is the ID number of the SIM card, which can be distinguished from each SIM card.

In the Android phone dialing interface, type # 4636 phone # to see the IMSI number of your phone (different models may vary).

IMSI and MSISDN is not an one-to-one correspondence, when the user card is lost, go to the business hall to change the SIM card, IMSI will change, but MSISDN will not change. Surfing the Internet is the behavior of a single user, as long as the IMSI number is legal, the business is normal, and there is no arrears, the Internet can be accessed normally. However, in mobile phone calls, there are both called and called, and both IMSI and MSISDN are required.

At this point, I believe you should know, with the number to transfer the network, the same is MSISDN, the change is IMSI. When transferring to the network with the number, the user needs to replace the SIM card.

-next, let's move on to the topic. Can the IoT network card be transferred with a number? -

In the Internet of things, smart devices only need to "surf the Internet" and do not need to make calls similar to mobile phones, so Internet of things cards usually only use IMSI and do not need MSISDN. Therefore, the concept of carrying a number to transfer to the network is not applicable to the Internet card. So, can the IoT network card be transferred to the network?

At present, IoT network cards are mainly divided into three types, plug-in SIM cards (Mini/Micro/Nano), eSIM and vSIM.

ESIM: embedded SIM card, also known as eUICC (embedded UICC), as the name implies, different from the traditional pluggable SIM card, the concept of eSIM is to embed the SIM card directly into the device. The essence of the eSIM is still a SIM card, but its "card body" is a programmable integrated circuit embedded directly in the circuit board, which is several times smaller than the Nano card.

VSIM card: virtual SIM card (virtual-SIM), is the further evolution of eSIM, inherits the function of eSIM, and completely eliminates the card body, and directly relies on the software and hardware of the communication module to realize communication. The terminal equipment has a communication module with vSIM function, together with the bottom software specially customized for vSIM, to realize the built-in encryption and storage of data (IMSI, KI, etc.).

For the plug-in SIM card, the network transfer is actually the replacement of the SIM card, which requires the manual replacement of the SIM card of the equipment one by one; for eSIM and vSIM, the SIM card function and data are all realized by software, and the SIM card function and data can be written to the device remotely, this technology is called aerial write card. By writing cards in the air, the IMSI number can be changed remotely and the network transfer can be realized.

Finally, knock on the blackboard, how is it most convenient for an Internet of things device to switch operators across borders? -

For example, a global logistics equipment, when in China, uses the China Mobile network, and when in Thailand, switches to the Thai AIS network.

For Internet of things equipment, replacing the physical SIM card is very troublesome and expensive, so it is usually not considered to transfer the network based on the plug-in physical card.

Using eSIM and vSIM devices for number switching will usher in a new user experience: users no longer have to plug and unplug SIM cards back and forth, but directly through interaction with the terminal, through APP or cloud, the terminal smart devices can be connected to the selected local network globally, and can be switched dynamically, so that the devices can always be in high network speed and appropriate charges.

At present, the integration of eSIM cards for Internet of things devices usually requires multi-party cooperation, including manufacturers, card vendors, operators, intermediate platforms, certificate authorities and so on. VSIM, as pure software, is relatively simple, but it also faces the problem of complex process. If it is done independently by the equipment manufacturer, the time and cost are high, so the equipment manufacturer usually tends to cooperate with the service provider to realize the rapid integration and management of SIM card.

For these vendors, Huawei Cloud IoT has launched a "global SIM connection" service (in public test, you can apply for free public test), providing pre-integrated modules of eSIM and vSIM and one-stop device connection management services, and the network covers 100 + countries and regions around the world to help you quickly expand your global business. In this way, manufacturers save not only the cost of integrated management of SIM card, but also the cost of international Internet access, which brings great convenience to the global management of Internet of things equipment.

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