Standards organisation GlobalPlatform has introduced a newly standardised Secure Channel Protocol for secure elements. This protocol facilitates remote application and file management on constrained IoT devices and low-power networks. This update is anticipated to speed up the adoption of comprehensive end-to-end security in IoT devices, aid compliance with IoT cybersecurity regulations, facilitate update and patch management, conserve energy, and simplify device administration.
“GlobalPlatform’s widely adopted Secure Channel Protocols enable the successful deployment and management of secure elements for multiple markets and use cases,” commented Gil Bernabeu, CTO, GlobalPlatform.
Saïd Gharout, a member of GlobalPlatform’s SE Committee that led the development of the specification, added: “This new protocol by GlobalPlatform is a huge leap forward for IoT sustainability and security. We are helping constrained NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) devices that could not be updated or patched due to the absence of SMS support. This will enrich the SIM and eSIM specifications from GSMA, ETSI and TCA for IoT scaling with more sustainable devices that consume less energy.”
Gloria Trujillo, eSIM Group Technical Director, at the GSMA also welcomed GlobalPlatform’s new protocol which, alongside the GSMA’s new eSIM IoT specifications as defined in SGP.31 and SGP.32, enables the creation of a secure ecosystem to support the rapid proliferation of network constrained IoT devices.
“Network and bandwidth limitations of IoT devices have been a concern for the telecoms industry, and enterprises alike for some time now,” commented Trujillo. “This has taken on greater importance given the increasing global adoption of these types of connected device in critical business environments. The emergence of GlobalPlatform’s new protocol alongside our new eSIM IoT specifications assure the industry that we have a secure, robust ecosystem to support and accelerate IoT rollout.”
Supporting the next generation of IoT applications, GlobalPlatform’s new protocol caters to IoT secure element manufacturers, application developers, device manufacturers, module makers, and platform providers across various use cases, including:
- Single-charge battery-powered devices (e.g., emergency buttons and trackers) for less energy-intensive transactions
- Smart metering, particularly water meters, to reduce power consumption, promote sustainability, and extend device lifespan
- Automotive sector to enhance in-car connectivity, asset tracking, and vehicle-to-vehicle communication
- Smart cities to automate and optimise data transfer for urban functions such as traffic management and pollution control in a sustainable, cost-effective manner
In the age of IoT, standardising protocols is imperative. To communicate over Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN) like NB-IoT, new communication protocols have been adopted:
- User Datagram Protocol (UDP) replaces Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) to enable faster data transmission and limit bandwidth requirements
- Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) replaces Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to optimise data packet size and reduce power requirements
- Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS) replaces Transport Layer Security (TLS) to provide end-to-end security
“As the ecosystem and technologies evolve, increasingly optimised mechanisms like this are needed to facilitate the deployment and management of robust security. Operators will now be able to update their (e)SIM using this protocol,” continued Bernabeu. “Support for IoT network-constrained devices is critical if we are to achieve net zero worldwide by 2050, while optimising performance and providing end-to-end security.”
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