Responsible for the development and maintenance of a common Integrated
Circuit (IC) Card platform for all mobile telecommunication systems, for the
application independent specifications for the interface with terminal
equipment and for IC Card standards for general telecommunications,
m-commerce and high security applications.
The main
task of ETSI’s Smart Card Platform Technical Committee (TC SCP) is to expand
and maintain the smart card platform specifications for mobile communication
systems. In particular, this allows users access to global roaming by means
of their smart card, irrespective of the radio access technology used. The
specifications of TC SCP are generic in the sense that they provide a true
multi-application platform (called the UICC) not just for mobile
communication systems but for all applications using a smart card.
Interoperability between applications which are based on the smart card
platform can thus be assured.
The major
achievement of 2008 was the conclusion of work on the use of the smart card
platform for Near Field Communication (NFC) applications. This allows
applications on the UICC to communicate directly with the outside world via
an NFC chip in the terminal. Potential uses are ticketing and access control
for public transport, access control to premises as well as payment by
credit card or an electronic purse residing on the UICC. While the work on
the lower layers, the Single Wire Protocol (SWP), which had been published
in 2007 continued with the usual improvements resulting from the first
implementations, the finalisation of the management level, the so called
Host Controller Interface (HCI), proved to be difficult due to diverging
interests. Two similar proposals had been specified: one with an assumed
host id where the UICC can only talk to the CLF (Contactless Front End) in
the terminal, and one with a stated host id which also provides an
architecture and placeholders for a potential (interoperable) extension of
the specification. This second proposal also included a mechanism for the
UICC to proactively request the terminal to start interaction with the user
(e.g. with the aim of displaying the result of a transaction or the
remaining balance for an e-purse). After long and intense discussions, TC
SCP decided in the end in favour of the latter option.
To
further the work on NFC, a Memorandum of Understanding between ETSI and the
NFC Forum was signed in late 2008.
With the
completion of the HCI specification, TC SCP closed all technical work on
Release 7 of the Smart Card specifications. At the same time, the
elaboration of requirements for Release 8 was also closed, and the first
requirements for Release 9 have already been approved. All the requirements,
together with use cases, can be found in a dedicated requirement
specification.
As
part of Release 8, TC SCP has also delivered a comprehensive secure channel
technical solution that allows the encryption of all communication on an
application-to-application and a platform-to-platform basis. Maintenance of
this specification following initial implementations has produced a very
robust specification. This is now being used as an element of the security
for the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA)
Mobile Broadcast Services Enabler Suite (BCAST), the
open global specification for mobile TV and on-demand video services.
In
January 2008 TC SCP established a new Working Group to deal with the
increasing demand for test specifications for new features and functions
such as the high speed interface between a terminal and the UICC as well as
the maintenance and the extension to new releases of existing
specifications. An ETSI Specialist Task Force was established in to develop
test specifications for the contactless interface. This set of four
specifications deals with both the Single Wire Protocol and the Host
Controller Interface from the terminal as well as the UICC point of view.
The specifications are expected to be completed early in 2009.
Collaboration with the OMA resulted in a number of new features and
functions for the Smart Card Web Server as well as in the elaboration of
requirements for the use of the UICC as Secure Removable Media (SRM). While
these were agreed for Release 8, the technical realisation of having digital
rights stored and managed in the UICC will form part of Release 9.
The work
on reduced-capability terminals (e.g., no screen or keypad) was completed,
enabling proper type approval of those devices including all the features of
the Card Application Toolkit (CAT). This work had been requested by GCF (the
Global Certification Forum). These tests are important with regards to
creating standards-based machine-to-machine (M2M) devices.
‘Standard’ SIMs have been used for specific M2M applications such as
metering for quite some time. Other applications may, however, require
special functionality and different hardware properties such as an extended
temperature range or a new form factor. While the requirements and use cases
for M2M smart cards were agreed in late 2008, the technical realisation of
these requirements is expected to be completed as part of Release 9 in 2009.
In
addition to M2M, SRM and the completion of a few outstanding technical
realisations for Release 8, the main focus of TC SCP’s work for 2009 will be
Release 9, which is expected to be closed by the end of 2009. Topics to be
covered are the definition of use cases where Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) applications may require the use of a UICC, the technical solution
for confidential applications and the requirements for CAT access on modem
interfaces. Mobile modems are becoming a significant sector of the mobile
communications market and the support for CAT in these devices is currently
limited by the lack of standards defining how CAT should be extended to
clients interfacing with the modem. The completion of the test
specifications for the Contactless Interface will allow the smooth
introduction of services on the UICC using Near Field Communication.
A
complete list of all active and completed work items and detailed
information pertaining to them can be found in the ’Work Item Monitoring’
window at:
portal.etsi.org/scp.
TC SCP
responds to requests from both inside and outside ETSI, and therefore
continues to liaise with major external contributors such as the
GlobalPlatform, the GSM Association, the Third Generation Partnership
Project (3GPP™), 3GPP2, the NFC Forum and the OMA.