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| SIMalliance's members are responsible for nine out of every ten SIM cards shipped worldwide |
"We are very happy to welcome these new members and strategic partner. SIMalliance encourages additional mobile ecosystem players including handset & device manufacturers, software providers and system integrators to join and participate in relevant groups," said Frédéric Vasnier, Chairman of the Board, SIMalliance.
"The UICC as the only network element in the hands of the subscriber is the ideal platform to deploy new mass services on any device and is set to become a significant new revenue generator for operators, handset and service providers. By employing a cross industry approach focussed on interoperability, we can limit market fragmentation and ease its integration in new telecom environments, resulting in a faster time to market for these new business models," he added.
Lebanon-based Inkript is a trusted name in the smart card industry and a prominent player in the Middle East and Africa. A technology innovator, Inkript manufactures its products at plants located in Lebanon, Morocco and the Persian Gulf.
Spain's Microelectronica was a subsidiary of SanDisk Corporation (itself a SIMalliance member) until its recent acquisition by American Banknote. The company designs, develops, manufactures and sells smart cards to mobile phone operators. The firm reports an annual turnover of approximately €16-million.
Strategic partners of SIMalliance have a recognised interest in the industry and support its aims and goals |
COMPRION of Germany is the worldwide leading manufacturer of test equipment for smart card interfaces. The firm sells devices that simulate the handset and allow for robust testing across a range of realistic scenarios.
"With a track record in providing top tiers telecom operators in the Middle East, Africa, and CIS countries with customised SIM cards solutions, Inkript prides itself to team up with SIMalliance to proactively contribute to the development of the industry, and looks forward to harness this contribution to the service of its clients," said Hassan Mokdad, CTO of Inkript.
Sandra Arias, Competence Centre Director at Microelectrónica said: "Renewing our membership with SIMalliance, allows us to keep personalising our service offer for the needs of our customers in the fast growing mobile industry; and reinforce our work in defining the new standards and service platforms needed by operators and end-users around the globe. Microelectrónica welcomes the opportunity to renew its SIMalliance membership and looks forward to working together with the other members to develop the standards of the SIM card of the future."
"As a strategic partner of the SIMalliance, we have the opportunity to contribute actively in working groups. Seeking to anticipate future technologies and customer needs, we can integrate new technical requirements promptly into our test tools. Being the only test equipment provider joining the SIMalliance, COMPRION provides tools improving the quality of smart cards and ensuring interoperability between SIM cards and handsets," states Michael Wehmeier, Managing Director of COMPRION.
Strategic partners are businesses or organisations that, while not actual SIM manufacturers, have a recognised interest in the industry and support the aims and goals of SIMalliance. Strategic partners also have the opportunity to join SIMalliance working groups that bring industry players together to shape the future of mobile applications. Current working groups include S@T, SIMpml, Interop', Green, NFC, Smart Card Web Server (SCWS) and two new groups Mobile Open Source and Long Term Evolution (LTE).
For more information about joining SIMalliance as a member or strategic partner, visit their website.
