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Standards & bodies

GSMA

The trade association of mobile network operators that defines industry specifications such as eSIM remote provisioning and promotes cellular IoT deployment.

The GSMA represents mobile operators worldwide and complements 3GPP: where 3GPP defines how radios and networks work, the GSMA defines the commercial and operational specifications around them. For IoT the most important are the eSIM remote SIM provisioning specifications, including the variant designed for constrained IoT devices that cannot show a QR code or run a user interface, and the IoT security guidelines that operators and module vendors reference.

For device makers the GSMA’s work determines how a product can switch operators over the air, which affects vendor lock-in and global deployments. The GSMA also tracks operator deployments of NB-IoT and LTE-M, which is useful when checking coverage for a planned rollout. Its specifications are freely published, while certification programs are run through accredited test houses.

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