Customers from a number of different UK mobile operators (mostly Vodafone MVNOs), such as Lebara and TalkMobile, who also own one of Google’s popular Pixel phones – at least the models they still support – have this week been informing ISPreview that the latest June 2024 software (firmware) update seems to have finally fixed WiFi Calling.

For the uninitiated. Wi-Fi Calling (aka – VoWiFi) simply enables consumers with a supporting Smartphone and mobile operator to harness their home broadband ISP or other WiFi connection to make mobile voice calls, instead of using your mobile network. The feature is extremely useful, particularly when away from a good mobile signal, but support can be patchy between different networks and devices.

Google’s Pixel phones have long included support for WiFi Calling, but in the UK it’s become quite a well-known problem that – even on mobile operators that claim to have enabled the feature – getting this to work is often an exercise in frustration. On top of that, knowing whether the issue is down to the operator or the device itself can often be difficult to answer with any confidence (support staff frequently give conflicting responses).

Some people have found solutions via unofficial patches, but these often end up being removed after a reboot or official patch and a longer-term fix has long been desired. The good news is that one of our regular readers (snarpatroid) has spent many months trying to push both Google and, in his case, Lebara, to talk to each other in an effort to resolve the issue (here) and that seems to have paid off in a bigger way than expected.

The first sign of progress came in March 2024, after Lebara’s support team revealed that the issue would be resolved with Google’s next software update for their Pixel devices in June 2024. The good news is that this firmware was finally released yesterday (here) and the early feedback ISPreview has received suggests that it hasn’t only fixed the issue on Lebara, but some other networks too, like TalkMobile (example).

We should point out that both Lebara and TalkMobile are both virtual (MVNO) operators on Vodafone’s national UK network. In other words, if you’re a Pixel owner on another network and still having problems, then it’s possible the June 2024 update might not resolve it for you (such issues often relate to tweaks with specific carrier profiles).

In any case, this should end many months of annoyance for a lot of Pixel owners, and that’s a good thing. But sadly, the June 2024 update doesn’t extend to all of Google’s devices, which is hard luck if you’re still using one of their Pixel 4 or older series.

Pixel 5a (5G):    AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 6:                AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 6 Pro:        AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 6a:              AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 7:                AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 7 Pro:        AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 7a:              AP2A.240605.024
Pixel Tablet:       AP2A.240605.024
Pixel Fold:           AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 8:                AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 8 Pro:        AP2A.240605.024
Pixel 8a:             AP2A.240605.024

News

The European Commission has expressed concern over the acquisition’s funding 

The European Commission (EC) has opened an investigation into UAE-based operator e&’s acquisition of Czech telco group PPF over concerns that it has been “granted foreign subsidies that could distort the EU internal market”. 

Last year, e& made a strategic expansion into the European market by moving to acquire a majority stake in PPF Telecom’s telecoms and infrastructure units in Bulgaria, Hungary, Serbia, and Slovakia. Currently, PPF has 18.1 million mobile subscribers, 1.4 million fixed broadband customers, and 13.2 thousand employees, across these four markets and its home market of the Czech Republic (which was excluded from the deal). 

The EC believes that e&’s “alleged subsidies” consist of an unlimited guarantee from the UAE government and a loan from UAE banks that have directly funded the transaction. Such subsidies distort the internal market of the EU by giving PPF an unfair advantage in the market, and is therefore a potential violation of newly introduced competition rules. 

This regulation came into effect on 12 July 2023 – just weeks before the e& deal was announced – and allows the commission to investigate distortions caused to EU markets by foreign subsidies. 

The EC will assess two things: firstly, whether foreign funding would lead to negative effects on the acquisition process, such as deterring other interested parties from acquiring;0 secondly, whether foreign funding will have negative effects on the internal market after the merger is completed. 

“e& continues to be in constructive discussions with the European Commission on its proposed acquisition of a majority stake in PPF Telecom Group and is working cooperatively towards a conclusion of the authority’s review,” the company said in an email to Reuters. 

A decision is expected from the EC by 15 October. 

Keep up to date with the latest telecoms news by subscribing to the Total Telecom daily newsletter 

Also in the news:
AI is shaking up the submarine cable ecosystem
Cyber and other threats to submarine cables
Old copper networks: A gold mine for telcos? 

News

Elisa’s Distributed Energy Storage (DES) solution will allow Åland Islands’ operator Ålcom to use and store solar energy, reducing its reliance on the national grid

This week, Ålcom, a telecoms operator from Finland’s autonomous Åland Islands, has revealed a new deal with Elisa to use the latter’s DES solution, leveraging solar panels deployed at sites across Ålcom’s mobile network.

Elisa first unveiled its DES solution early last year, saying it intends to turn its Finnish network into the largest virtual power plant in Europe.

The technology works by using AI and machine learning to intelligently charge and discharge energy storage batteries located at mobile sites. In this way, the batteries can purchase and store energy from the national grid when it is most cheaply available, making use of these reserves as needed when prices go up due to increased demand.

As part of the solution, the mobile base stations power consumption can be dynamically altered to balance the availability of energy resources. In some scenarios, this means the sites will even be able to sell excess power back to the energy grid.

Elisa has already deployed this solution across its network in Finland.

Now, this new partnership with Ålcom will not only see the DES tech rolled out across the operator’s mobile network but will also include the integration of solar for the first time. This, the companies say, will not only help reduce the company’s energy costs, but also greatly reduce its carbon footprint.

“We are delighted to add solar energy to our operations with Elisa DES. This investment is part of Ålcom’s continued commitment to sustainability. Including solar production in the energy mix helps us reduce costs and gain flexibility and means to cope with variability and uncertainty in energy generation, demand, and grid availability. DES, in combination with the larger Li-Ion batteries used in the solution, will also be critical should we ever be cut off from the grid for a longer period of time,” said Peter Löfman, Head of Network at Ålcom.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

Want to keep up to date with the latest developments in the world of telecoms? Subscriber to receive Total Telecom’s daily newsletter here         

Also in the news:
AI is shaking up the submarine cable ecosystem
Cyber and other threats to submarine cables
Old copper networks: A gold mine for telcos? 

Brsk, one of the fastest-growing UK broadband providers has announced plans to double their existing network coverage to enable approximately 50,000 homes across Calderdale, West Yorkshire to benefit from full fibre broadband.

Currently, 23,000 homes and businesses across Brighouse, Elland, Hipperholme, Bailiff Bridge, Hove Edge, Woodhouse, Rastrick, Lower Edge, Greetland, Stainland, Sowood and Holywell Green can access full fibre courtesy of brsk, with the plans to expand their coverage taking that number to 47,000.

 Speaking of the network growth in the area, Regional Head, Darryl Niewenhuizen, said, “The meticulous planning, dedication, and hard work of our team has  enabled us to surpass expectations and complete the first phase of our rollout way ahead of schedule. We’re thrilled to share our plans to connect even more homes and businesses in West Yorkshire with our award-winning full fibre optic technology, so that thousands more can enjoy lightning-fast internet speeds, seamless video streaming, and robust connectivity for various online activities.

We extend our sincere gratitude to the Local Authorities for their unwavering support and collaborative spirit throughout the entire process. Together, we have laid the foundation for a digitally connected future, empowering communities with better broadband, no mid-contract price rises and fair prices.”

The additional areas of Calderdale to benefit from brsk’s full fibre investment include Siddal, Skircoat Green, Salterhebble, Outlane, Copley, Bank Top, Lee Mount, Boothtown, Pellon, Ovenden, Illingworth, Holmfield and Northowram.

To date, brsk has passed more than 500,000 homes nationally, which includes 126,000 homes across West Yorkshire, stretching from North Bradford to Calderdale.

Anyone wanting to check their full fibre coverage with brsk can check their postcode at brsk.co.uk.

New York – June 10, 2024, Lightpath, an all-fiber, infrastructure-based connectivity provider revolutionizing how organizations connect to their digital destinations, announced the company has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of United Fiber and Data. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the third quarter of 2024.   

United Fiber and Data (UFD) owns and operates a unique and diverse 323-route mile, high-fiber count network between New York City and Ashburn, VA, connecting the largest population center in the country with the largest data center and cloud ecosystem in the world. UFD also owns a 79-route mile metro network in New York City and New Jersey, including connectivity to over 350 enterprise and data center locations and a high-fiber count crossing of the Hudson River, which will add capacity to Lightpath’s three existing Hudson River crossings. 

UFD’s New York City-Ashburn network offers high-fiber counts, the latest optical technologies from Ciena, and will support dark fiber, Ethernet, and wavelengths up to 800 Gbps. This unique network is geographically diverse from typical long-haul routes along the I-95 corridor and will enhance Lightpath’s network of over 20,000 route miles, connecting over 15,000 service locations, including over 140 data centers and 7 cable landing stations. The combination of networks will allow Lightpath to offer geographically diverse, high-capacity services from commercial enterprise buildings, cable landing stations, and data centers along the east coast, directly to the Ashburn ecosystem.     

“The addition United Fiber & Data is a natural extension of Lightpath’s expansive Greater New York City Metropolitan fiber assets, increasing our ability to serve high-capacity customer needs into the Ashburn data center ecosystem and further enhancing our Manhattan metro coverage where we will serve nearly 1,500 enterprise and data center destinations, a 5x increase over the past 3 years,” stated Chris Morley, CEO of Lightpath. “This represents a continuation of Lightpath’s strategic investment thesis of creating critical fiber infrastructure in attractive and high growth markets for the benefit of our Enterprise, Hyperscale, and Wholesale customers.”

UFD customers will gain access to the entire Lightpath network as well as the entire service portfolio, including Wavelengths, Ethernet, Internet, Private Networks, Dark Fiber, LP FlexNet, Voice, Security Solutions, and other Managed Services. Additionally, customers will be able to utilize Lightpath services to connect to over 140 data centers, 7 cable landing stations, and all major cloud providers.  

For more information about Lightpath, please visit lightpathfiber.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About Lightpath:

Lightpath is revolutionizing how customers connect to their digital destinations by combining our next-generation network with our next-generation customer service. Lightpath’s advanced fiber-optic network offers a comprehensive portfolio of custom-engineered connectivity solutions with unparalleled performance, reliability, and security. Our consultative customer service means we work with you to design, deliver, and support the solution for your unique needs, faster and more easily than ever before. For over 30 years, thousands of enterprises, governments, and educators have trusted Lightpath to power their organization’s innovation. Altice USA (NYSE: ATUS) owns a 50.01% interest in Lightpath and Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners (MSIP) owns 49.99% of the Company.

To learn how Lightpath can connect you to your digital destinations, visit lightpathfiber.com

 

For media inquiries:

JSA for Lightpath

1-866-695-3629 ext. 13

jsa_lightpath@jsa.net

The Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA), the global industry body dedicated to improving Wi-Fi standards and services, has today released its report titled “Venue Requirements for User Engagement” which takes a fresh look at how users engage with and access services, how venues can optimize revenues, and create new business opportunities.  The report offers best practice advice on developing a venue’s business case for public Wi-Fi, including how to improve user engagement with the use of OpenRoamingTM and Passpoint technology over legacy captive portal Wi-Fi.

 

User engagement is a critical element of public Wi-Fi provision. Venues need to understand the users who are connecting to their public Wi-Fi network, as they have a variety of needs ranging from regulatory compliance to commercial models that necessitate engagement. Likewise, users need to be able to use and interact with the Wi-Fi and with the brand that is providing the Wi-Fi.  Unlike captive portals, once a device has been successfully onboarded to an OpenRoaming/Passpoint compliant network, the connection is more secure and future connections will be automatic, while still retaining the ability for venues and network owners to engage with users.

 

For venues and public Wi-Fi network owners looking to improve engagement with users, the report highlights best practice advice on establishing user needs, network requirements, processes flows, onboarding and device provisioning. 

 

Drivers for aiming for better user engagement

The report underscores the critical need for industry stakeholders to prioritize user engagement in Wi-Fi network design and operation. By understanding and addressing the requirements of both venues and users, businesses can enhance the overall user experience, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue opportunities.

 

The benefits for operators and venues that improve user engagement include:

 

Cost Reduction & Cost Control: Implementing efficient onboarding processes and standardized interfaces can help reduce the costs associated with managing and maintaining Wi-Fi networks, especially for venues with high user traffic.
Increased Revenue Opportunities: By offering seamless and engaging user experiences, venues can attract more users, leading to potential revenue streams through advertising, pay-as-you-go models, or partnerships with third parties and roaming services. For instance, the adoption of OpenRoaming facilitates continuous Wi-Fi connectivity in stores and retail environments, significantly enhancing the shopping experience. It allows customers to seamlessly connect without manual logins, paving the way for real-time promotions and communications that engage customers instantly, without the need for portal logins.
Regulatory Compliance: Understanding and implementing best practices for user engagement can help industry players comply with regulatory requirements related to user privacy, data protection, and network security. For example, certain regulatory bodies and governments mandate that service providers require users to register for Wi-Fi access. This registration helps criminal investigations trace activities where needed. OpenRoaming streamlines this process by enabling automated login once a profile is downloaded.
Competitive Advantage: Industry players that excel in user engagement and provide a seamless Wi-Fi experience can gain a competitive edge in the market, attracting more customers and partners.
Wi-Fi roaming: Facilitated by the WBA’s OpenRoaming Federation, Wi-Fi roaming offers venues a valuable revenue stream and enhanced user experience. It simplifies Wi-Fi connectivity for users, ensuring secure network access and increasing customer satisfaction. Roaming can also be a form of user exchange, allowing seamless connectivity across partnerships, enriching and simplifying the user experience. GDPR guidelines are implemented in OpenRoaming, ensuring customer data privacy and security, which is crucial for maintaining trust and compliance.

 

Tiago Rodrigues, CEO of the Wireless Broadband Alliance, said: “This report underscores the critical need for industry stakeholders to prioritize user engagement in Wi-Fi network design and operation. By understanding and addressing the requirements of both venues and users, businesses can enhance the overall user experience, reduce costs, and unlock new revenue opportunities.  WBA encourages industry players to consider the best practices identified in the report with different business models applicable to their public Wi-Fi deployment. Enhancing the user journey and user engagement in Wi-Fi networks can ultimately improve the overall user experience and drive business success.”

 

The report includes insights from industry experts from GlobalReach Technology, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Cityroam, Google, Marriott International, Single Digits, and other WBA members.

 

Thomas Locke, Chief Technology Officer, GlobalReach Technology

“Due to the continued success of OpenRoaming and the wider market adoption of technologies like Passpoint, users are now increasingly connecting seamlessly and securely to public Wi-Fi networks. That being said, the desire for brands and users to interact in real-time on a proximity-based level has never been stronger. This report outlines the best practices for brands to offer an enhanced user experience through direct engagement via a secure Passpoint based public Wi-Fi network.”

 

Ben Roberts, Group Chief Technology and Innovation Officer, Liquid Intelligent Technologies, “Public Wi-Fi business cases are uniquely challenging in emerging markets, and success requires balancing the needs of the Wi-Fi users with those of the network owner. Technology changes all the time; one such example being the emergence of more devices that support Passpoint. These changes open up possibilities for network owners to consider new forms of user engagement. This report provides a reference for network owners and venues to understand the tools available to them to best achieve their business goals while optimizing the user experience.”

Middle East, 5, June 2024 – Zain Omantel International (ZOI), the Middle East’s premier international wholesale powerhouse, has joined ‘One Consortium’, a not-for-profit organisation working to tackle illegal and unwanted international voice calls and messages. ‘One Consortium’ brings together major telecom companies like, Lumen, Orange Wholesale, Verizon and Vodafone as well as global industry organisations such as i3Forum, the GSMA, Global Leaders Forum (GLF) and Global Solutions Council (GSC) to address fraud in international telecommunications and its impact on consumers and businesses worldwide.

–‘One Consortium’ is working closely with telecom regulators globally, as they collaborate in the new GIRAF (Global Informal Regulatory Antifraud Forum) organisation that just launched with 20 Europeans regulatory authorities on board and more joining soon. 

ZOI joins the One Consortium as a voting member and will participate in its working groups. It will help to develop solutions, standards and strategies to build trust in communications and accelerate digital transformation in the Middle East region. One Consortium working groups cover topics like fraud identification best practice, regulatory policy, messaging fraud, international traceback, Calling Line Identification (CLI) spoofing and enhancing trust in telecommunications as a whole.

Sohail Qadir, Chief Executive Officer at ZOI, emphasized the alignment of the company’s core values with the consortium objectives: “Joining One Consortium underscores our commitment to integrity and customer-centricity across the MENA region and beyond. It plays a crucial role in combating fraud across the industry. We are looking forward to working together with the aim of enhancing trust across international telecommunication channels and helping to make a real change across the industry.

The creation of One Consortium was headed by the i3Forum as a way to assist regulators and policymakers in the journey to enhancing trust across the ecosystem. The voice and messaging industry is to some degree affected by rampant fraud, scams and spoofing attacks.

“We are excited to welcome ZOI to the One Consortium and to have a Middle East-headquartered service provider join us in the fight against voice and messaging fraud. It is critical that we have representation from across the globe as we aim to enhance trust in international telecommunications. Collaboration on a global scale means we can have an impact and benefit the carrier community, businesses and consumers,” said Philippe Millet, Founder and Chairman of the i3Forum. “We value ZOI’s expertise and support and look forward to working with the team.”

As part of One Consortium, ZOI seeks to shape regional industry advancements and contribute to the creation of effective solutions and regulations across the globe. ZOI serves over 55 million customers across 8 countries of operation and is the leading wholesale provider in the Middle East with an extensive network of low latency and high-capacity services. ZOI’s membership to One Consortium solidifies its position as the comprehensive network provider to meet increasing demands of international customers.

About ZOI

Zain Omantel International (ZOI) is the Middle East’s premier wholesale powerhouse serving regional operators, international carriers, global hyperscalers and cloud providers seeking services within the region and beyond. The first-of-its-kind joint venture signifies a substantial advancement in the telecommunications industry and is poised to become a global powerhouse due to Zain’s extensive regional presence and success in the retail and digital arenas, combined with Omantel’s exceptional wholesale capabilities and comprehensive international subsea and terrestrial networks. ZOI manages all international wholesale requirements of Zain and Omantel operations in eight countries, serving over 55 million customers. For more details, please visit www.zainomantel.com

About i3Forum

The i3Forum is a non-profit industry body that drives global collaboration and innovation across the international communications ecosystem through an open and inclusive model. The i3Forum and its community develop practical recommendations, tools, solutions, and policies to help understand consumer behavior, leverage technology, adapt to regulatory requirements, and foster trust in international communications. For more information, visit www.i3forum.org.

Media Contact :

philippe.millet@i3forum.org

FRANKFURT, June 10.  Leading internet infrastructure company, Telegraph42 today announces the unveiling of an alternative data transit route between Frankfurt and Hong Kong which passes through the Balkan regions, the Middle East and Central Asia. The new ‘Southern Route,’ the first part of the larger of Digital Silk Way Project, is based on high-speed data transfer infrastructure, replacing reliance on existing subsea cable, and resulting in fast and secure, data transfer between Hong Kong and Europe with an initial throughput of up to 1Tbps, but with the guaranteed possibility of very fast channel expansion. 

 

The alternative route provides an extra layer of resilience and protection from physical damage, whether environmental or man-made. The Southern Route lays the foundations of the Digital Silk Road project which Telegraph42 is leading, to create and establish a new connectivity route between Asia and Europe. The Digital Silk Road project is high speed data transfer infrastructure, designed to increase regional connectivity potential and penetration, contributing to economic growth and supporting efforts to build a digital ecosystem in the region. The project will serve to speed up data transfer between Central Asia and Europe. 

 

Waldemar Sterz, CEO of Telegraph42 comments: “The Southern Route offers an extra layer of resilience for all global organisations which rely on the global internet to do business and our company is the only one in the world that has managed to establish an alternative transit route from Frankfurt to Hong Kong.” Sterz continues; “The launch of the commercial operation of this route is one of the elements of our strategy for connecting the Asian markets to the global internet. Over the next two years we will be investing in this route to deliver speeds of several Tbps with a longer term aim of achieving up to dozens of Tbps.”

The Southern Route is the product of highly complex negotiations initiated by Telegraph42 over the last 2.5 years, with a consortium of partners in the countries through which the route passes. 

Any company that relies on an uninterrupted internet connection to do business, such as financial companies, payments systems, stock exchanges, governments, crypto companies and global MNOs, should plan for contingencies with alternative routes.

 

-ends-

About Telegraph42 Management GmbH

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Frankfurt, Telegraph42 provides global IP transit and capacity technology that unlocks market growth by connecting corporations, nations and governments around the world to the global internet. 

 

Telegraph42 today has a proven track record in building highly scalable, Next Generation, high-speed fiber optic networks to increase internet transmission capacity, connect continents and close the digital divide. 

 

As one of the largest providers of communications services for operators, Telegraph42 has agreements in place with the world’s largest Tier 1 telecom operators as well as global data centres. With offices in Frankfurt, Hong Kong and Almaty, Telegraph42’s highly experienced and agile global team fosters partnerships and the collaborative approach required to overcome the many obstacles of connecting the world to the internet, whilst striving to create a healthier environment for telecom industry players.

 

Telegraph42 is at the heart of some of the world’s most strategic internet infrastructure projects, with a proven track record in leading the delivery of complex IP transit and global connectivity initiatives Telegraph42 has worked on over 200 projects with 150+ clients, partnering with service partners, and regional operators on big-scale projects to connect continents, countries, regions and multinational businesses to the global internet. 

https://tele-graph.de/

GeoLinks, an enterprise-level telecommunications company, announced today that Christine Morris has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. Morris will lead strategic market activities to enhance enterprise-wide efficiencies and optimize revenue and profitability.

“GeoLinks is pleased to welcome Christine to this crucial role. Her deep telecommunications industry expertise, broad sales experience, and proven leadership in strategic development will be invaluable as we expand our network and product offerings to deliver greater connectivity options, enhanced reliability, and richer capabilities to our customers and across our markets,” said Skyler Ditchfield, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of GeoLinks’ Board. I am confident her expertise and strategic vision will drive even greater sales and marketing success.”

Bringing more than 25 years of experience, Morris is recognized industry-wide for her acumen in operational infrastructure excellence and ability to produce high-performing sales environments that drive smart, profitable business. Morris will be responsible for optimizing and formalizing processes that align with the company’s growth plans and leading the sales and marketing departments to develop and execute effective market penetration strategies.

Prior to joining GeoLinks, Ms. Morris held a variety of strategic enterprise sales, business development, and strategic marketing telecommunications executive roles. Previously, she served as vice president of sales for Integra Telecom (now Zayo), vice president of national commercial sales for Frontier Communications, and led regional enterprise sales for CenturyLink (now Lumen.)

A multiple-time President’s Club Award honoree and Osprey Award recipient for leadership, Morris brings valuable insight and leadership to GeoLinks, further enhancing the company’s position as a telecommunications industry leader.

In response to the growing uptake of GlobalPlatform’s Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) methodology, the organization has introduced several initiatives to further accelerate adoption. These include the launch of new certification stamps, expanding the number of labs and certification bodies (CB), new partnerships and the creation of an adopter program. Together, this raises the bar for IoT security by enabling the adoption of the methodology across new sectors, use cases and markets.

“We are at an inflection point in SESIP adoption,” commented Gil Bernabeu, CTO of GlobalPlatform. “SESIP is getting recognized for eliminating the complexity and fragmentation surrounding security evaluation, making IoT device security economically viable for the entire value chain. It helps the market identify and align relevant security requirements, implement appropriate security in devices, and demonstrate compliancy across markets, while minimizing costs, effort, and time-to-market. The recent ratification of SESIP as a European Standard (EN 17927) serves as both a vote of confidence and a trigger for further adoption.”

A rapidly growing ecosystem

SESIP has rapidly become an internationally recognized standard for security evaluation, supported by a large community of security providers, industry bodies, security laboratories, and other stakeholders.  

The longstanding certification body TrustCB has already issued 47 SESIP certificates to companies including NXP Semiconductors, STMicroelectronics and Winbond Electronics Corporation. These products were evaluated by a growing group of GlobalPlatform licensed security laboratories. Currently these labs are Applus+, Riscure, SERMA, SGS Brightsight, and Thales ITSEF with more expected to join this list in the coming year. Two additional certification bodies are currently working to become GlobalPlatform SESIP CBs to bring even more capacity and reach to the ecosystem. 

Importantly, the methodology is also already used or referenced by bodies including the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC), ETSI, FiRa Consortium, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), PSA Certified and Wireless Power Consortium. This adoption first demonstrates the value of the methodology to strengthen IoT security across diverse vertical markets and use cases. It also helps device manufacturers using these technologies to compose their final device based on SESIP-certified software or hardware components, while quickly and easily ensuring compliance with relevant regulations.

Collaborating to expedite adoption

The GlobalPlatform community is responsible for maintaining the methodology, enforcing a governance model with an associated quality brand between CBs, product vendors and laboratories. The support and expedite growth, GlobalPlatform has delivered several important initiatives and resources:

SESIP Committee & Working Groups – A dedicated Committee and Working Groups have been established to drive GlobalPlatform’s strategy for SESIP ecosystem development, initiate new technical projects, facilitate adoption efforts, and oversee governance. A primary focus is to engage with regulators and the security evaluation ecosystem to identify requirements and demonstrate SESIP’s applicability for different regions and vertical markets.
New SESIP Product, Lab and Certification Body Marks – A suite of branded logos have been made available for certified products, and accredited laboratories and certification bodies, to promote and bring trust to their offerings.
SESIP Profiles and Mappings – GlobalPlatform develops and maintains a growing suite of SESIP Profiles and Mapping documents to facilitate adoption and use of the methodology. SESIP Profiles are used in the security evaluation of a component or device, while SESIP Mappings bridge the security requirements defined in the methodology with those of global cybersecurity regulations.
SESIP Adopters Community – As the methodology is now being used by a diverse range of different stakeholders, GlobalPlatform has created the ‘SESIP Adopters’ community. This program informs non-members about the latest GlobalPlatform SESIP developments, provides access to relevant technical documents, and allows them to showcase their certified products and/or support for SESIP.

 

“SESIP leverages the expertise of the GlobalPlatform ecosystem to incorporate better cybersecurity in IoT devices, at the right cost and aligned with market regulation,” added Bernabeu. “By giving stakeholders a single point of reference for IoT cybersecurity, regardless of their security expertise, we can collectively raise the bar for security. But we need to reach beyond this GlobalPlatform community. These programs, partnerships and resources will extend our ecosystem, enabling anyone to join us in driving the development of SESIP for the benefit of the growing IoT industry.”

Learn more about SESIP and join the adopters community.

-ENDS-

For further media information, please contact Ellie Fingleton at ellie.f@iseepr.co.uk and on +44 (0) 113 350 1922

About SESIP 

The SESIP methodology provides a standardized approach for evaluating IoT security implementations, tailored to the unique requirements and challenges of the evolving ecosystem. The methodology can therefore support regulatory and industry requirements from leading organizations such as ENISA, ETSI, IEC and NIST. The IoT community therefore has a single, accessible reference point for assessing IoT cybersecurity in line with these and other requirements, reducing fragmentation, complexity and cost from security certification processes for stakeholders.

Additionally, the SESIP methodology also supports composition and reuse of certificates. This enables previously certified components to be used to build a device with in-built security assurances, without having to repeat a complete evaluation of the same component in each and every targeted market. This drives greater efficiency, security, innovation, and cost-savings across the certification process.

Importantly, both national and private certification bodies are creating and managing certification schemes based on the SESIP methodology.

About GlobalPlatform
GlobalPlatform is a technical standards organization that enables the efficient launch and management of innovative, secure-by-design digital services and devices, which deliver end-to-end security, privacy, simplicity, and convenience to users.  It achieves this by providing standardized technologies and certifications that empower technology and service providers to develop, certify, deploy, and manage digital services and devices in line with their business, security, regulatory and data protection needs.

GlobalPlatform technologies are used in billions of smart cards, smartphones, wearables, and other connected and IoT devices to enable convenient and trusted digital services across market sectors, including healthcare, government and enterprise ID, payments, smart cities, industrial automation, smart home, telecoms, transportation, utilities, and OEMs.

GlobalPlatform standardized technologies and certifications are developed through effective industry-driven collaboration, led by multiple diverse member companies working in partnership with industry and regulatory bodies and other interested parties from around the world.

Learn more about SESIP Methodology.

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