In a world first, Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed payment technology Group, Prism Holdings will unveil its South African developed SIM card, aSIMetrix, which enables secure, authenticated transactions across GSM cellular networks at the SIM 2001 exhibition in Madrid, Spain, tomorrow (3 April).
Prism has received its first order for the new Prism aSIMetrix SIM card from Philippines GSM network operator Smart Communications which won the award for "Most Innovative Mobile Commerce Application" for its SmartMoney payment application at the 2001 GSM Association congress.
The new Prism aSIMetrix SIM is the only subscriber identity module to offer a set of advanced asymmetric and symmetric cryptographic plug-ins, ensuring transaction security to the most stringent banking standards, alongside the standard GSM and WIB (Wireless Internet Browser) functionality found on other advanced SIM cards.
SIM cards are the small smart cards that fit inside mobile phones connected to GSM networks. The SIM card has evolved from being a secure subscriber identification and authentication module providing basic GSM functionality, into the modern day device that, with significantly increased processing and memory capacity, provides a powerful platform for a wide range of value added applications.
Smart Communications, has decided on a strategic SIM partnership with Prism, based largely on their requirement for the industrial-strength security functionality found on the aSIMetrix SIM. In addition, Smart Communications required multi-application and menu management tools on top of the WIB (Wireless Internet Browser), which Prism has included in the aSIMetrix product offering.
The Prism aSIMetrix SIM, available from April in 32K or 64K versions, allows for secure payment and banking transactions to take place over the GSM network, making the vision of secure mobile commerce (m-commerce) a reality. Included on the SIM are 3DES encryption, digital signature, DUKPT PIN encryption, RSA public and private key support with on-SIM RSA key generation, and other advanced crypto plug-ins.
"For more than a decade, Prism has delivered progressive technologies which have enabled our clients to offer safe, dynamic and convenient payment options to their customers and business partners across diverse physical and virtual transacting channels. We`ve now brought together our core competencies in payment, security and chip card to the wireless world," says Graham McKay, Group Technical Director at Prism.
"Effective m-commerce solutions imply the delivery of authenticated, confidential and non-repudiable transactions from the SIM in the handset across the network to a back-end server. Such transactions require advanced, fully tested on-SIM cryptographic security support like we have successfully incorporated into the Prism aSIMetrix technology."
The aSIMetrix SIM has been rigorously tested against the requirements of the SmartTrust DP5 WIG (Wireless Internet Gateway) platform. SmartTrust, the technology provider of choice for over 6o network operators worldwide, has a long relationship with Prism and is incorporating some Prism-developed security and SMS-C (Short Message Service Controller) technologies incorporated into its latest platform offerings.
Now in its sixth year, the SIM 2001 exhibition is the only event in the world dedicated to highlighting the latest development and future directions in SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) evolution. Over 300 delegates representing the world`s leading cellular network operators are expected to attend the two-day exhibition.
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