Contactless Software Provisioning for Soldered UICC Profiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated circuit cards, such as eUICCs, face challenges in managing software modules like profiles or bundles due to their non-replaceable nature, particularly in devices without user interfaces, leading to difficulties in operations like loading, enabling, or disabling subscriptions.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a contactless subscriber device, like an NFC or UWB device, for initiating remote provisioning of software modules by performing mutual authentication and checking the presence or status of the module, followed by operations like downloading, enabling, or disabling based on the check results, facilitated by a contactless interaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UICC is soldered or made hardly accessible in the hosting device, then the size of the device is reduced and robustness is improved, but the card becomes non-replaceable making operator change and repair operations difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a contactless subscriber device as a copy or alternative interface to the physical card. Instead of requiring physical access to the soldered UICC for profile management, the system creates a contactless representation of the card's functionality that can be used remotely to download, enable, or disable profiles through wireless communication protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The contactless subscriber device acts as an intermediary between the user and the soldered UICC. It mediates profile management operations by communicating with the UICC through contactless interfaces, allowing users to perform operations without physically accessing the soldered card, thus resolving the contradiction between secure soldering and ease of operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the UICC is soldered or made hardly accessible, then antitheft protection is increased, but specific operations like device repairing that require UICC removal become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless subscriber device creates a functional copy of the UICC's profile management capabilities, allowing repair operations to be performed remotely without physically removing the soldered card. This maintains the antitheft protection of soldering while enabling repair operations through the contactless interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of physical card removal and insertion with a contactless wireless communication system. Profile management operations that previously required physical access to the soldered UICC are now performed through contactless data transmission, eliminating the need for mechanical intervention while maintaining security.
3Volume of moving object
If the UICC is made non-replaceable through soldering, then device miniaturization is achieved, but means must be provided for operator change and profile management
Solution Approach 1:
The contactless subscriber device provides universal profile management functionality that works across different devices and scenarios. It can download, enable, disable, and manage profiles for the soldered UICC, consolidating multiple profile management operations into a single versatile interface that reduces overall system complexity despite the non-replaceable card architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for remote provisioning of software modules (P), which are configured to be stored in a memory of an integrated circuit card and enabled for operation, in particular a subscription profile (P) or a bundle to be enabled in a secure platform, hosted in a local equipment (14) configured to communicate with a remote provisioning server (21, 13), in particular a data preparation server or SM-DP+ server, to download, enable or disable said software module (P), comprising using a subscriber contactless communicating device (31), in particular a smartcard, to initiate the download (200) or enabling (300) or disabling (400) of a software module (P) in an integrated circuit card (16) by means of a contactless transaction, comprising the following operations: performing (110) a contactless interaction between the contactless device (31) and the local equipment (14) hosting the integrated circuit card (16), in particular by placing the contactless subscriber device (31) within the communication range determined by a corresponding contactless interface (32) in the local equipment (14), starting (120) a mutual authentication between the contactless device and the IC card in the host device as a consequence of said contactless interaction (110), sending (130) a identifier (SID), identifying the software module, stored in the subscriber contactless communicating device (32) to the integrated circuit card (16), checking (140) at the integrated circuit card (16) if the software module identifier (SID) matches a software module identifier stored in said integrated circuit card (16), selecting performing one operation among downloading (200) said software module (P) to the integrated circuit card (16), enabling (300) the software module (P) and disabling (400) the software module, in function of the result of said checking (140) operation.