The quiet revolution: Java smart cards in SIMs (2002-5-24)

James Gosling once marveled that the total number of java developers coding for a specific java technology seemed to be directly proportional to the physical complexity/size of the application type that they are coding.

Well, ok, maybe he didn't say that, but I'm paraphrasing.

However, he did note that once, in a java conference, a speaker had asked all the audience members who coded JEE to stand up, and the vast majority of the audience stood up. He then asked for wireless developers, and maybe a handful jumped to their feet. Finally, he asked for smart card and other similar developers, and this one guy stood up uncertainly...then asked where the restroom was.

Ok, I added that last semi-joke, but you get the point.

While the world sleeps (or in the case of comp.lang.java.advocacy, while the world debates endlessly .NET and JEE), java smart cards have quietly crept into the mainstream in really vast, awe-inspiring numbers. The ubiquitous AMEX Blue Card is java-enabled, and so are the various VISA smart cards, 7 million of which so far are floating around the USA.

AMEX Blue site

From a newsgroup POST by myself:

Java's quiet (but extremely successful) story, JavaCard, has gained RMI and wireless features in the new Version 2.2. I believe this java success story has all but demolished the microsoft alternative that was hanging around circa 1998 (when i first started fiddling --- temporarily it turned out --- in smart cards).

"With more than 200 million smart cards deployed worldwide, Java Card technology is clearly the platform of choice for multi-application smart cards," said Tracey Stout, vice president of marketing for Java and XML Software at Sun Microsystems, Inc

- "American Express and Visa have adopted Java Card technology as the platform of choice for the development of their smart card applications."

- Government agencies are currently issuing Java Card technology-based smart cards as their new identification cards to replace existing "paper" identification cards. Most recently the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) named Java Card technology as the platform of choice for the Transportation Workers(TW) card, the first national identity card for transportation workers. The Department of Defense is issuing a Common Access Card to 4.3 million active duty U.S. military personnel and eligible contractors. The Government of Taiwan will deploy a Java Card technology-based smart card as their new health insurance identification card to all 24 million residents.

- Telecommunications carriers such as China Mobile, France Telecom, Hong Kong Telecom, Orange, Swisscom, Telecom Italia Mobile and Telefonica have deployed millions of Java Card technology-based Subscriber Identity Modules (SIM)cards worldwide. Java Card technology-enabled SIM cards allow operators to provide secure, innovative services on mobile devices.

Reference:http://www.sun.com/smi/Press/sunflash/2002-04/sunflash.20020423.2.html

Now, the first South American telecom operator has moved to java-based SIMs, with plans to acquire around 300K subscribers within the first year.

SchlumbergerSema, a business unit of Schlumberger Limited, today announced that TIM Peru has selected its Java-based SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards to offer value-added services - including chat, messaging and email - to its customers. TIM Peru is the first mobile telecommunications operator in South America to offer these kinds of services built on Java-based SIM card technology, a worldwide standard that enables multi-application functionality to co-exist on the same card in order to deploy additional applications post-issuance and ensure interoperability between different suppliers.

GSM using Java technology offers enormous advantages to operators and subscribers, including proven security, service flexibility, fast time-to-market, and low cost for the usage of the value-added services.

Java technology enables the operator to easily add and update services for subscribers without replacing the SIM cards of their mobile phones.

"Introducing new services with low cost and fast time-to-market is the real advantage that telecom operators secure by adopting Java-based SIM cards," said Mario Calcagnini, Mobilecom TIM account manager, South America, SchlumbergerSema.

Drawing on more than 20 years experience in pioneering smart card innovation and leadership in Java* technology, SchlumbergerSema - which has just been named the world's leading provider of microprocessor smart cards by Gartner Dataquest - has sold more than 2.5 billion smart cards to date.

Reference: TIM Peru selects SchlumbergerSema SIM Cards for its GSM services offering

You still here? Did i forget to tell you the few developers who do code professionally in smart cards earn mucho mucho dinero? Now, go out there, download some smart card emulators, and get hacking!

JavaCard Homepage
Smart Card Developer kit from SUN

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