Many of our partners and customers who provide a worldwide mobility service for Internet of Things (IoT) or travelers with mobile devices are challenged when the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards with a single International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) profile cannot fully cover all mobile networks on the routes which the mobile devices will move cross or in the countries where the roamers want to visit. To provide a solution for this problem, Syniverse offers a SIM card with Multiple IMSI (Multi-IMSI) profiles to help simplify the user experience during global roaming through Over-the-Air (OTA) Technology.
What Is Syniverse Multi-IMSI?
As a key feature of the Global SIM (GSIM) product, Syniverse Multi-IMSI is a solution using OTA technology to intelligently and remotely allocate and manage IMSI resources for mobile terminals. This is accomplished by allowing the subscriber or mobile device the ability to utilize a single Syniverse physical SIM card across the globe and enjoy the lowest cost while roaming.
Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI SIM can dynamically download a sponsor’s IMSI to the corresponding SIM card, giving subscribers the ability to traverse the world with one card.
How Does It Work?
A Multi-IMSI SIM card provisioned by Syniverse is initially preloaded with a bootstrap IMSI in addition to a set of roaming policy rules based on visited country/location, Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN) network, and roaming rates that will determine one of the operational data IMSIs selected from a Sponsor’s IMSI Pool on Global SIM platform.
In a typical application, Syniverse’s OTA engine will receive the location update information forwarded by Home Location Register (HLR)/Home Subscriber Server (HSS) while a Multi-IMSI SIM attaches to a visited network. Next, one operational data IMSI will be selected from the backend IMSI pool and pushed down to the SIM card through SMS service. After the successful OTA delivery by SMS, the operational data IMSI becomes the active IMSI of the SIM and the Multi-IMSI SIM is now ready for data access.
What Are the Benefits?
Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI service offers an end-to-end solution that enables mobile operators to seamlessly connect a business’s IoT machines and consumer devices across both local and global mobile networks throughout the world. This is all done through one relationship, platform, and single physical SIM.
Multi-IMSI’s main benefits include:
- Lower Roaming Costs: Different sponsors have different data roaming coverage and rates. Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI helps the customer choose the lowest cost IMSI and never miss the destinations that end users want to visit.
- Quick Service Launch: Cloud-based infrastructure allows the customer to enable the service quickly with no system integration requests.
- Unparalleled network reach:: With connections to 700 networks across more than 220 countries, our scalable Platform as a Service (PaaS) supplies you with the reach and flexibility no other provider can offer.
- High Service Scalability: Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI continuously adds more sponsors and coverage to meet emerging use cases and locations.
- Industry Leading Connectivity: Encrypted IMSI profiles plus backhaul safeguards through an industry leading Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) network guarantees the OTA delivery process and data transmission.
What Are Some Use Cases?
IoT Opportunities in Transport and Logistics: Many trackers and sensors installed in a shipped package are globally distributed by carriers, and it’s difficult to locally plug and unplug the SIM card manually when they move from one country to another. Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI SIM solution can help carriers manage the SIM over the air and guarantee the cargo is always on track wherever it goes and whenever it is needed.
Global Data Roaming for Travelers: Many travelers and roamers are sensitive to charges for mobile data roaming across countries as the price of data roaming varies greatly for different mobile networks even within one country. End users are always struggling for how to select the cheapest SIM card and often receive bill shock when they forget to exchange the SIM with a cheaper one while roaming.
Syniverse’s Multi-IMSI SIM enables the business to provide a better experience for their end users, while empowering users to travel the world with one SIM card.
Cary Niu is from Beijing China. He began his telecommunication career in 2006 as a Technical Support Manager at Aicent Inc, after which, he joined Syniverse when Aicent was acquired by Syniverse in 2014 and served in the role of Product Manager overseeing Global SIM and Wi-Fi solution in 2017. Cary’s strong technical knowledge in telecom network and programing, as well as extensive experience in product management, business case analysis, and project planning and implementation have enabled him to successfully develop and manage world-class PaaS products and key valuable function components including service portal, billing system, and OTA management platform. Cary holds an MBA degree and a PMP certificate. In his spare time, he likes soccer, tennis, and cycling.
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