Chaz,
<< standards (... long meetings and "conferences") as well as smart cards >>
Fortunately I've only been an observer to the standards process rather than an active participant. The down side, since I'm a sales & marketing side guy, is that I've often had to wait for standards to settle before I could bring product to market.
<< China Unicom requires SIM capability in phones supplied, do the appropriate standards bodies have to approve the SIM specifications prior to the shipment of the phones themselves, or before the shipment of the SIM's >>
ETSI SMG9 is really the key standards body controlling the GSM SIM. Typically for new modifications to an ETSI GSM standard the concerned operator (GSM Association member), Terminal Vendors (GSM Association Associate member), and SIM manufacturer ((GSM Association Associate member) will all meet in regional working groups to evolve a specification related to SIM.
Hypothetically at least in this case some CDMA specific functionality may be needed for a CDMA version of the GSM SIM. This would be worked out by the parties regionally and when a specification is arrived at a proposal is submitted to ETSI. There is some sort of parallel work going on in the appropriate ANSI-41 regional or technical group one might assume. When all above is completed terminal manufacturer(s) and SIM manufacturer(s) can then precede to develop prototypes to the specification. When prototypes are available integration testing can be conducted on the affected networks. If all works, commercial production of SIMs and terminals can commence.
In the case of a CDMA SIM/RUIM the basic GSM ROM "Mask" might well suffice and CDMA specific functionality can be coded in a "soft mask" on SIM EEPROM and added at SIM personalization time. Eventually, this functionality may be added to a revised ROM "Mask" once ETSI has incorporated new functionality into a fully released specification.
I could be wrong, but in the case of China Unicom who is a major GSM Association members well as a CDG member, I think that the scenario I describe (however poorly) has been going on for some time and prototypes of terminal and SIM probably exist or will shortly. Perhaps they are even ready to roll out.
BTW: Somebody recently asked me if I had a link to the Vodafone Newbury GSM-CDMA Trial Report (which incorporated a SIM in a CDMA phone). I could not find it, but just stumbled across it.
3gpp2.org
- Eric - |
