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To: Clarksterh who wrote (393)	7/30/1999 11:42:00 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13582

Clark, << What is a logical SIM/UIM? >> Well, first we have a SIM which is today (in 2G) a removable plastic card with an IC chip in it (a physical device) and the SIM is a component of every GSM handset. It has two ETSI and ISO specified sizes (credit card size & mini or plug in size). Its basic functionality is specified by ETSI and evolved by SCAG. A UIM is the evolved SIM. We will know more about it when the ETSI UTMS phase 1 specification is published later this year. The draft 3GIG specification (V 3.0.0 - 4/28/98) says that "A new SIM card will bridge between the network and the terminal and has to be technology independent to provide seamless services. It is the tool to provide new VAS for customer retention." 3GIG defines the UIM thus: "A standard device or functionality providing secure procedures in support of the user or terminal registration, authentication, and privacy for wireless access to UMTS/IMT2000, which may also contain application data be used to facilitate telecommunication services and other services (e.g., UPT banking)." ITU defines the UIM thus: "In FPLMTS it is a logical entity which could be removable from a unit (mobile or fixed ) or functionality contained in a unit. It contains information elements needed by the system to identify, authenticate and permit the users registration. The UIM can also be used to store user specific data." My read on this is that in 3G (UMTS & W-CDMA) the UIM need not be a physical removable device as the SIM was but could be a logical device with functionality on an IC that is part of the handset. I am under the impression that within UTMS the device will be physical and its functionality will continue to be defined and evolved by SCAG. I am further under the impression that NTT DoCoMo insisted on a physical SIM (UIM). Perhaps they did this for any one or more of the reasons that GSM chose a physical SIM as part of their Phase 1 specification, enhanced its functionality in phase 2, and then again in phase 2+: * Portability of subscription to facilitate International roaming (Europe in particular). * Portability of subscription to facilitate use of the subscription in multiple devices. * Security and Authentication (if authentication engine compromised, replace a $6 component rather than retrofit a soldered in chip or replace the handset.) * Provide upgradeable of functionality and personality of the handset without replacing the handset and dependency on the handset manufacturer. * Modify and customize the MMI of a handset independent of handset functionality and upgrade this customization using OTA Provisioning of the SIM. * Facilitation of VAS added to handset functionality. All (or most as I recall) of the above were referenced in the CDG Action Group whitepaper prepared in 1995 that explored the possibility of incorporating a SIM in CDMA. All of the above functionality could more or less be logically incorporated into a handset. << I don't know of any particular reason that CDMAOne family couldn't build phones with SIMs (albeit not interchangeable with GSM SIMs) >> I see no reason at all this could not be done AND they could be interchangeable with GSM SIMs. It is simply <g> a matter of time and resources. I suspect it will be done. I suspect Qualcomm won't be the first to do it, however, simply because they lack experience with GSM as compared to lets say Motorola who has experience with both CDMA and GSM. << They would just have to put the S/N in the removable card instead of hardcoding it in the phone? >> Much more complex than this I would think as there is a lot of functionality specified for the UIM which is simply an evolved SIM and consequently includes all of the SIM's functionality. If European (worldwide) roaming involved your are talking about the complete authentication scheme for GSM for starters. As for me (Joe User), I look forward to the day when I can take my BAM CDMA phone or at least my BAM subscription to Europe and use it (easily). I apologize for the long answer to a brief question and I hope I did not diverge too much from the main topic of this thread. I do view the incorporation of SIM or UIM to be one of the issues involved in the CDMA evolution to 3G. This makes it a Qualcomm issue and one that I am sure they are dealing with in some manner or fashion. - Eric -

To: Clarksterh who wrote (393)	7/30/1999 12:48:00 PM
From: slacker711	Respond to of 13582

While looking for some info on EDGE, I came across the following page which seems to have a bunch of papers on the evolution of TDMA to 3G. Unfortunately I cant access any of them. Is anybody out there a member of the Communication Society of IEEE? I was really hoping that T would be forced to overlay CDMA and not be able to transition directly to 3G. 207.127.135.8 There are also a bunch of other technical papers on that site dealing with everything from OFDM to Frame Relay to turbo coding. Hope someone gets some use out of it. Slacker

To: Clarksterh who wrote (393)	8/2/1999 12:04:00 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13582

Clark, << SIM/UIM >> Things change quickly in the world of 3G specifications do they not? Information I posted to you on Friday is somewhat obsolete. ETSI has posted a series of new specifications for UTMS (several June releases) including a new SIM spec (3G TS 21.111 V3.0.0 (1999-04) - USIM and IC Card Requirements). What I referred to as a UIM is now a USIM and / or a UICC UICC: A removable IC card containing a USIM. USIM: A 3GPP application on an IC card. Hopefully Qualcomm or CDG has this covered in the cdma2000 specification but I have seen no references to same. Since I am not a CDG member I do not have access to the latest cdma2000 specifications, only the rather dated high level public stuff on the CDG site. Why is this a potential issue? Because without a SIM or USIM you can't authenticate to a GSM network. For this reason it would seem to me that if not incorporated it is difficult (if not impossible) to implement cdma2000 (or cdmaOne) in Europe, or roam there. Perhaps I'm missing something, in which case I would appreciate being better informed. - Eric -