SmartTrust History
SmartTrust became our name in 2000, but our story began in the early days of GSM. The embryo of today's SmartTrust comes from AU-System, founded in 1974 as a pure consultancy company for custom software development. When we received our first SIM card-related assignment in 1989, a journey in product development began that would position SmartTrust as a leader in OTA (Over-the-Air) solutions.
A pioneer in the birth of GSM SIM card personalization
As AU-System, we set standards for the entire mobile industry by creating an open platform SIM card personalization system for four Nordic telecom companies. Delivered in 1991, these systems are still used today by TeliaSonera and Telenor.
Dedicated focus on OTA and security
Our development took off with the introduction of GSM Phase 2 SIM cards in 1994. In 1997, we founded a subsidiary called AU-System Mobile as well as a company called ID2. These were focused on management of SIM cards for mobile operators, Smart Cards and security on the web.
Going Over-the-Air
In 1996, our first prototype of an OTA solution was developed, which enabled operators to update SIM card files through SMS messages. From the beginning, our open platform approach to SIM management was unique in the industry and became the trademark of our AviSIM OTA Server product.
Establishing the Wib standard
In 1998, a joint project for a mobile commerce solution with Ericsson was started, from which the concept of an application execution environment on the SIM was born. The successful rollout of SmartTrust Wib and the SmartTrust Universal Gateway (originally known as WIG) helped propel future business and brought us international recognition as a pioneer in the mobile industry.
Across Wireless introduces DP5
AU-System Mobile was spun off as an independent company in May 1999. The name was changed from AU-System Mobile to Across Wireless. A new product range based on the AviSIM OTA server was built and released as a Wireless Application Delivery Platform. This first release was called Across DP5.
Across Wireless and ID2 become SmartTrust
In April 2000, Finnish telecom operator Sonera bought Across Wireless, along with ID2, and merged us with another subsidiary under the name SmartTrust. Our expanded focus included PKI and the intent was to develop technology for safe transactions via mobile phones.
Focus on Mobile Device Management and SIM-based services
SmartTrust entered the Mobile Device Management market when our first Terminal Provisioning product was installed in 2003. We also developed a pioneering SIM application (Wib-based) for truly automatic device detection which enables Automatic Device Configuration (ADC) of handsets. With this advancement, operators can automatically configure the settings on a subscriber's mobile phone ensuring subscriber access to data services.
In 2004, the SmartTrust DP (OTA Delivery Platform) took high-capacity to new heights with the ability to support over 100 million SIM cards in our repository. The following year, we continued advancements in the automatic device configuration area by introducing event-triggered management for the SIM and handset (terminal).
Advances in speed and cost savings
A major advance in 2005 was our successful implementation of the Bearer Independent Protocol (BIP) for high-speed communication with SIM cards. With results 20 times faster than sending updates by SMS, BIP was the equivalent of introducing DSL to the world of dial-up.
In 2007, we introduced Just-In-Time personalization of SIM cards, allowing card personalization at the moment of subscriber activation. Delaying payment for license expansion in the HLR saves operators significant up-front costs.
A year for milestones
SmartTrust celebrated several milestones in 2008. The one-billionth Wib-enabled SIM card entered circulation, reinforcing Wib as the de facto industry standard. We released Wib 2.0 with key feature enhancements benefiting subscribers. The SmartTrust Certified program reached 100 certified Wib implementations, ensuring developers and operators a standard for reliable SIM cards.
Joining the Giesecke & Devrient family and creating a Wib community
In the spring of 2009, we became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Giesecke & Devrient Group (G&D), acquired for our interoperable and open high-performance server solutions for SIM and device management. G&D are a global market leader and innovator in banknote production and processing, smart card solutions for telecommunications and electronic payment, and security documents and identification systems.
The SmartTrust City partner program was introduced for application developers, effectively providing access to mobile network operators serving over 1.5 billion subscriber SIM cards with Wib. This new community gives advice and assistance, and promotes greater customer access to value added services further cementing Wib's success as the world's most widely deployed Dynamic SIM Toolkit interpreter.
At SmartTrust, we continue to lead the way in SIM and Mobile Device Management.