MobileWorld Congress brings together the biggest names in mobile, and the build up toBarcelona is always dominated by talk of ‘big-ticket’ product launches.
Tobe successful, however, mobile technology must be both secure andinteroperable. It may be less glamorous, but hacks and failures can have acatastrophic impact on a brands’ image, reputation and, ultimately, theirbottom-line.
So,behind the attraction of the latest VR solution and mobile handset launches,what will be the hot topics critical to achieving deployment success?
NFC – here to stay
No one can argue that near fieldcommunication (NFC) is gaining traction and is being adopted by consumers. Themarket is predicted to top $21 billion by 2021, driven in part by the ever-increasingavailability of NFC-enabled smartphones, the launch of the big name ‘Giant Pay’mobile payments platforms and an expanding global contactless infrastructure.
Wearablepayments also represent a huge growth opportunity for NFC technology. Thecurrent success of wearables has undoubtedly been built on health and fitness.But with 50% user abandonment after 12 months, device manufacturers arelooking to expand functionality beyond health and fitness to drive long-termadoption. And the ability of wearables to streamline the transaction processmeans that NFC payments are central to this strategy.
Yet to ensure a consistent and secureexperience across all form factors, products need to undergo functional andsecurity testing in a manner that is commercially feasible. ‘Integration’ iskey to control investment without limiting advances.
eSIM – securing the future of IoT
From connected cars to smart toasters, it isclear that the age of IoT is upon us. The industry is now faced with theunprecedented challenge of deploying and securing billions (potentially trillions) of connected devices.
For many, the embedded SIM (eSIM) isessential to stabilizing the ecosystem. eSIM is a non-removable component thatsupports remote provisioning capability. This means that IoT solutions can beupdated to ensure continued security, functionality and convenience, withouthaving to change the SIM.
As so many players are converging in this space, the future of IoTis dependent on the industry’s ability to establish and implement a robusttesting framework to ensure the conformance andinteroperability of the eSIM across multiple stakeholders and use-cases.
TEE – ensuring device security
Don’t underestimate the role ofconsumer confidence in technical innovations. Security fears can become abarrier to using an application. Yet to be over secure can restrictfunctionality and performance. The mobile industry is walking a constanttightrope to balance these two elements.
The Trusted Execution Environment(TEE) is a secure area of the main processor of connected devices that ensuressensitive data is stored, processed and protected in an isolated, trustedenvironment. While it offers protection against software attacks, assists inthe control of access rights and houses sensitive applications, it alsodelivers a good level of functionality.
The TEE is not new, but it isbecoming recognized as a security basis for mass market mobile servicedeployments.
Time to market
All these conversations have one key element incommon: how to get products to market effectively and successfully, whileavoiding risks.
Evolving the testing landscape to accommodatenew features, while ensuring backward compatibility with the existinginfrastructure is vital in any new product launch strategy. When a newdisruptive feature is added, everyone is looking to understand the impact.
Creating an agile testing process that can reflectmarket trends is fundamental if the mobile industry wants to continue itsdynamic evolution within a sustainable and secure infrastructure.
To find out more and discuss yourtesting and certification requirements, meet FIME at Business France, Hall 5B61.
FIME’s offer
FIME has over 20 years’experience in bringing innovative technologies to market quickly andefficiently.
It has developed a comprehensiveoffer of consulting services, technical training, technology design, test toolsand certification testing. Its experts support projects from start to finish,resolving the technical challenges posed by implementing a complete portfolioof specifications, standards and multi-brand industry requirements.