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Technology Stocks : Smart Cards -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: caly who wrote (97)	1/26/2000 6:44:00 PM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 343

calypso << SIM cards ... presume they're using RSA in for signing/authentication? >> No but they will start to (I'll qualify that in a moment). GSM uses a shared private key scheme that has withstood the test of time amazingly well to authenticate the mobile (which consists of the handset and SIM inside). The SIM plays an important role in this and has been a part of the GSM specification since GSM launched commercial in 1992. The original theory and justification for the SIM was authentication. Algorithm in the SIM, algorithm in the handset, some magic stuff on the network (AuC), BUT if it ever gets commercially hacked, you replace a $10 SIM and not the handset or a soldered in chip in same. SIM cards are just starting to use RSA (optional application) but not to authenticate to a network. It is used to authenticate to (and wrap and sign) to an eCommerce server as meaningful wireless data applications evolve. ESecurity will probably come into play quicker on the mobile platform than on desktop clients (a surprise to me). The leading GSM guys have formed a group known as Radicchio which will quickly evolve PKI in the mobile environment. You might want to check out: radicchio.org If so, do you have any idea as to what QCOM might be doing with Certicom's ECC crypto? They recently licensed it. I don't know specifically (although since QCOM is my largest holding and I mean to find out) but I can hazard a guess. I presume they will use or attempt to use ECC for the same reason as GSM and TDMA are starting to use RSA. Whether they will do this with a soldered in chip or a smart card I don't know. Snow on the courses. Bummer! - Eric -