A PRESENTATION ON

GSM Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card

By
Ekansh Agarwal (J001)
Rajat Dixit (J014)

(MBA TECH EXTC, Sem IV)

 CONTENTS
1. Evolution of SIM
2. Role of SIM
3. Components
4. Functions
5. Security Features
6. Disadvantages
1.Evolution of SIM
● When the SIM card was invented in 1991, it was having a size of 1FF, which then shrank to a size
of 2FF called as mini SIM, then to 3FF or micro SIM and now to nano SIM with a 4FF size

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2. Role of SIM
● A SIM holds all the information required to identify a particular subscription to a
mobile service.
● Each GSM subscriber is issued a SIM card by the operator, which can be seen as the
subscriber’s “key” to the network
● The SIM is inserted into the mobile terminal and the customer goes through a
secure process in order to log onto the network.

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 ● Central Processing Unit (CPU)
3. Components ○ The CPU is the “intelligence” of the chip and performs all the
mathematical calculations and takes all the decisions required by
the SIM
● Read Only Memory (ROM)
○ ROM stores the operating system and the GSM specific algorithms
○ Contents of the ROM shall be created as part of the silicon
manufacturing process
● Random Access Memory (RAM)
○ It is used to store temporary system flags, to buffer incoming data
and as a scratch pad for calculations
Fig.: Architecture of SIM ● Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM)
○ EEPROM memory stores all of the application data such as the
Operator specific parameters and the subscriber data.
○ This information is retained even after the power is turned off and
can be modified or erased using specific electrical signals.
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4. Functions of SIM Card
1. Access Control
2. Customization
3. Service Personalization
4. Network Branding and Advertising
5. Value addition in operator services

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1. Access Control to the Network
1. Local access control
a. identity of the cardholder being an authorized user is achieved through a PIN
(Personal Identity Number) checking procedure without transmission on the
radio interface
b. subscriber presents to the SIM (via the handset) a four to eight digit no. which
is known only to the subscriber
c. SIM shall check the presented value against that, held in its secure memory
2. Network access control
a. This is where the card proves to the GSM network that it is valid for use

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2. Customization
It shall be possible to customize the SIM card for the services to be provided by DTO.
SIM shall be capable of storing the following minimum inputs for customization:
• International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)
• Integrated Circuit Card Identification (ICC id)
• Subscriber Authentication Key (Ki)
• Personal Identification Number- 1 (PIN-1)
• Personal Identification Number- 2 (PIN-2)
• PIN Unblocking Key-1 (PUK-1)
• PIN Unblocking Key-2 (PUK-2)

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3. Service Personalization
The SIM shall also act as a portable data storage device. SIM shall be able to support following:
● Electrical Personalization: To authenticate the chip, it shall load the customized executable
program and initialize the data in the files.
● Geographical card Personalization: For printing cardholder related data on the card body.

4. Network Branding and Advertising

For the purpose of advertising and network branding of IMPCS network, it shall be possible to print
artwork containing DTO logo and other network related information on SIM card with high
precision and quality.

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5. Value addition in operator services
● The SIM card shall also be able to provide a platform based on GSM standards 11.14 for SIM
Tool Kit to facilitate launching of various value added interactive services like Mobile Banking,
Tele-ticketing, Over-the-air modifications, Over the air charging (OTAC) etc. as per market
demand and marketing ideas.
● SIM Tool Kit (STK) compatibility shall be provided as an option for SIM card 16K and above.

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 5. Security Features
5.1 Authentication
The card security shall be based on two types of authentication
● Passive Authentication
○ comprise of password presentation as per ISO guidelines and verifying secret codes
○ SIM card shall support seven passive authentication passwords, which consist of two user's secret code called PINs &
three Administrative Secret Codes (ADM)
○ User secret codes shall have their own unblocking secret codes called PUK (PIN unblocking key) as per GSM
standards
● Active Authentication
○ Active Authentication shall comprise of Key presentation as per ISO guidelines. It shall provide total transparent
means for verification that both the card and the network have the same secret key. There shall be two types of active
authentication
■ Internal authentication which verify the genuineness of the card registered in the network
■ External authentication ensures that an application has the right of access to certain highly sensitive files.

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5.2 Network Security
The SIM card shall provide features required for authenticating itself to the GSM network and generating the keys
used to cipher the calls. These features should comprise of certain keys and algorithms

5.2.1 Algorithms and processes

Following algorithms shall be supported by the SIM:
● Algorithm A3 to authenticate the MS to the network
● Algorithm A8 to generate the encryption key

❏ These algorithms may exist either discretely or combined (into Comp 128) with in the SIM. In either case the
output on the SIM-ME interface shall be 12 bytes.
❏ The inputs to both A3 and A8, or Comp 128 are Ki (128 bits) internally derived in the SIM, and RAND across the
SIM/ME interface.
❏ The output shall be SRES (32 bits)/Kc (64 bits) the coding of which is defined in the command RUN GSM
ALGORITHM in clause 9 of GSM 11.11

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5.3 Additional security features
Following additional security features that shall be available in the SIM card are described below:
● Additional Elementary files (EF) created inside the card shall be managed as per GSM 11.11 recommendations. As security
policy depends on GSM operator needs, three states shall be made available for accessing data from the external world:
○ - Under no condition
○ - Under secret code control (PIN code, or administrative secret code)
● Unique serial number to avoid card cloning
● “Inhibition systems” to prevent any power value out of range of the specification: Clock frequency, power supply value.
● Read/Update access to EEPROM 100% controlled by ROM software and issuer application.

5.4 Anti tear mechanism

Card shall have anti tear mechanism to prevent SIM data damage during accidental voltage cut off (battery failures, battery pull
out without switch off etc.)

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6. Disadvantages

● The per-unit charge on roaming calls is higher in GSM than in CDMA.

● Calls made through GSM mobiles can be tampered.
● If the SIM gets lost, one can lose all the data, if the same is not saved in the phone.

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References
1. https://www.tec.gov.in/pdf/GRMT/TEC-GR-WS-SIM-002-01-OCT-04.pdf

2. D. G. Koshy and S. N. Rao, "Evolution of SIM Cards – What's Next?," 2018

International Conference on Advances in Computing, Communications and
Informatics (ICACCI), 2018, pp. 1963-1967
THANK YOU !!!

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