SIM and smart card standards body GlobalPlatform has launched a Trusted Service Manager (TSM) Working Group.
The working group was created in response to market demand, says GlobalPlatform, and will focus on analysing the interfaces between TSMs and mobile network operators in order to define a common and secure messaging specification.
The specification will detail how TSMs will communicate with mobile operators in order to interact with the secure element on a mobile handset, with the goal being to ensure that convenient and creative services can be delivered to the end user.
While the working group’s initial focus will be on specifying a standard language for communications between operators and TSMs operating within the banking sector, the specification will be designed so that it is also usable across a number of additional market sectors such as public transportation.
“It is vital that a common language is defined to ensure efficient communication between the key players within the NFC ecosystem to enable contactless payment services to be deployed and managed on a mass market scale,” explains Visa‘s Marc Kekicheff, vice chair of GlobalPlatform and leader of its Mobile Task Force. “There has already been significant interest and contributions from GlobalPlatform members, which represents the entire NFC landscape, as well as new members eager to participate.”
Last May, GlobalPlatform released a detailed white paper, ‘The GlobalPlatform proposition for NFC mobile: Secure element management & messaging’, which detailed the roles and responsibilities of each player in ensuring the secure delivery of multiple applications sent over-the-air to the secure element on a mobile phone.
“Creating the GlobalPlatform TSM Working Group and addressing in a messaging specification some of the challenges in the white paper is a logical next step for the organization, says ActivIdentity‘s Eric Le Saint, chair of the GlobalPlatform Systems Committee. “The TSM working group has the capability and expertise to effectively progress this activity.”
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