Clearly, we have never seen anything like this: whole industries have been shut-down and large sections of society are adapting to a new (temporary?) way of living. Personally, I think that Covid-19 will be the trigger for many long-lasting changes in our ways of life. 

I was in Berlin at the start of February to attend the 4th World eSIM Summit. Having attended each of the previous events it was interesting to not just hear the latest news and developments from speakers and attendees, but also to gauge how much forward movement there has (or has not been) in the past few months.  

I have talked about the potential opportunities and benefits that I believe eSIM offers to mobile operators and other service providers for several years now. I understand that new technology needs to be tried and tested (and fully integrated into billing infrastructure, etc.) but the delays in rolling out eSIM services do cause me to wonder if MNOs are too blinded by protectionism to recognise the true value and appeal of eSIM that it offers them. 

This year’s TRUSTECH had a different feel to it and I felt it was better for it. It was more compact and my impression of it was that it had re-focussed around its three core themes: Payments, Identification and Security.  

We have published a new infographic following our latest update to our core Market Intelligence Service: Digital Secure Solutions for Credentials, Embedded + IoT Devices. As highlighted in the infographic, the service provides a unique and comprehensive insight into the current and future demand for secure hardware solutions. Its aim is to enable semiconductor, card/credential and device manufacturers, as well as platform and service providers, to track and monitor market developments and determine its future direction. The benefit for our clients is being able to identify future market disruption and stay informed as to how potential regulation and additional external factors may affect them and their customers. 

I was one of over 10,000 people who attended Passenger Terminal Expo (PTE) last month. Whilst walking around the event it struck me how much progress has taken place within the past year regarding the sector’s readiness to adopt new technologies to improve the passenger experience and help make smart airports a reality. 

Read our key thoughts and takeaways from MWC 2019 where the headlines were dominated by 5G and folding smartphones. The IoT is developing in targeted applications yet the standout theme was Urban Mobility. We had a series of meetings and discussions around eSIM, IoT Security, Digital Identity and Authentication. Read below for how these combine to enable and support these new digital businesses.  

P.A.ID Strategies is excited to announce that it has launched its new Digital Secure Solutions: Credentials, Embedded + IoT Devices Market Intelligence Service to clients. It found that the market for secure credentials and embedded hardware for connected devices increased in value by 15.4% in 2018 and is forecast to rapidly grow by a further 41% by 2022 as emerging applications in the IoT implement security and digital credentials are introduced alongside existing smart cards. 

I chair several eSIM conferences and contribute to a number of events focussing on eSIM standards, technology development, business models and commercial opportunities. From this I get to discuss with companies how they are approaching eSIM, their questions, concerns, strategies, requirements and business objectives. Find out my thoughts about the new opportunities eSIM creates. 

Read the second installment of our blog series as we take a look at where regulatory activity has actually translated into action amongst crypto service providers. 

Read our first installment of a two-part assessment of today's cryptocurrencies and how close - or far - they are from meeting future regulatory requirements. 

Smart Cities & Smart Airports share many of the same challenges - find out about how our three key takeaways from the recent 'Passenger Terminal Expo' - Biometrics, Connectivity & IOT and Data Management Platforms - are at the forefront.