Virtual Subscriber Identity Module

S Ranganatha Rao, Masha Chandrasekaran

cmasha.2505@gmail.com, ranganatha.1994@gmail.com
Abstract SIM cards enable the provision of
identity to consumers in the web of mobile
communication. In terms of physical attributes,
SIM cards have witnessed three generations with
the latest development - Nano SIM still in its
infancy. In this paper, it is desired to eliminate the
existence of a physical entity and provide users
with the ability to purchase and use wireless
network services without the need of a SIM Card.
The proposed technology relies heavily on a
platform dependent application which makes an
effort to emulate the functionalities of the software
pertinent to mobile communication. The intention
is to review the basic aspects of communication
with regard to mobile phones, discuss in detail the
functioning of the SIM and to enable SIM
Virtualization using the application that is
executed on the mobile device.
Keywords Mobile Phones, SIM cards, Emulation,
Application software, Mobile Communication,
Virtualization

I.

INTRODUCTION

It is not every day that we see little things making a

big impact and yet every single day, countless
cellular connections are established by the SIM. The
golden plate flashing on the miniature smart card
would have gotten almost every single user intrigued
to find out how a small entity is capable of so many
functionalities. The simple act of making a call is
initialized by a touch or a click on a mobile phone
which triggers a series of connections that puts a user
in the communication radar and this is supported by
the subscriber identity module. The SIM maybe
obscure but its role in mobile communication is vital.
The SIM is embedded into a removable plastic card.
This plastic card is called a SIM card and can be
transferred between different mobile devices. The
attribute of obscurity provides security against
software tampering but the security hole of loss or
physical damage to the chip rooted in the plastic card
is still open and exposed. In this paper, a theory to
replace the vulnerable hardware with a secure
application program has been proposed. The SIM

card as such does not provide any communication

functionalities as it is just a plastic card supporting a
chip with the SIM and it may not always be desirable
to require its use. For example, the need to include a
SIM card slot in user devices tends to make the
devices space inefficient and add cost. It also
necessitates management of SIM card inventories and
distribution by the manufacturer or service provider.
A user might also want to purchase wireless services
even when the user is not able to easily obtain a SIM
card. It would therefore be desirable to be able to
provide improved ways in which to provide users
with the ability to purchase and use wireless network
services. The paper deals with SIM virtualization
within an application (which is preloaded) that is to
be executed by the mobile device client. vSIMs, as
we propose to call them, will considerably reduce the
size of the device, as well as increase the
functionality and flexibility. A detailed account of the
functioning of the vim and its architecture, inter alia,
will be dealt with in this paper.

II.

ARCHITECTURE

A brief insight into the architecture of a SIM

card
would provide a platform to delve into the
possibilities of a virtual SIM. A SIM card is a small,
flat, programmed microchip that fits into particular
cellular phones. SIM cards contain information about
the customer who purchased the card and allows
them to access their contact lists and make calls
through the SIM card's phone service company. A
SIM card at the most basic level is a smart card with
the Subscriber Identity Module embedded and
therefore in reality, the SIM is effectively a massmarket smartcard. A subscriber identity module is an
application on a smartcard that stores data and
information pertaining to communication for cellular
subscribers. Such data includes user identity, network
authorization data, security keys, contact lists, stored
text messages and other applications. In order to
prevent eavesdropping, various encryption algorithms
have been programmed.

A. SIM DATA
SIM cards contain data used to authenticate and
identify subscribers on the network. The most
important of these are the ICCID, IMSI,
Authentication Key (Ki), Local Area Identity (LAI)
and Operator-Specific Emergency Number. Data
pertaining to the carrier such as the SMSC (Short
Message Service Center) number, Service Provider
Name (SPN), Service Dialing Numbers (SDN),
Advice-Of-Charge parameters and Value Added
Service (VAS) are also held. The storage capacity of
this module varies from 32KB to 128KB.

B. COMPONENTS
Integrated Circuit Card Identifier
(ICCID)

1.

Each SIM is universally identified by its integrated

circuit card identifier (ICCID) which is also engraved
on the body of the smart card. The identifier is up to
22 digits long. The number is composed of the
following subparts:
a)

Issuer identification number (IIN)

The IIN is a seven digit number at the maximum

divided as follows

Subscriber Identity(IMSI). Mobile network operators

communicate with their market SIM cards using this
identity. The format is as follows:
a)

The first three digits represent the Mobile

Country Code (MCC).

b)

The next two or three digits represent

the Mobile Network Code (MNC).

c)

The next digits represent the Mobile

Subscriber Identification Number (MSIN).

3. Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services

Digital Network-Number (MSISDN)
The MSISDN is a unique number identifying a
subscriber in a GSM mobile network. It is the
telephone number assigned to the SIM card in a
cellular phone. The IMSI usually identifies the SIM
and is used as a subscriber database key. The
MSISDN is the number dialed to bond calls to mobile
phones. The number includes the country code and a
national destination code characterizing the
subscribers operator, which is usually used to track
calls to subscribers.

4. Authentication key (Ki)

Country code made of 13 digits.

The Ki is a 128-bit value used in authenticating the

SIMs on the mobile network. Each SIM holds a
unique Ki assigned by the corresponding operator.
The Ki is also stored in the carriers authentication
center.

Issuer identifier made of 1-4 digits.

The authentication process is carried out in the

following manner:

Major industry identifier (MII) made of 2

digits and used for telecommunication purposes.

b) Individual account identification number

a)

The length of the Individual account identification

number is variable but is fixed for a single IIN.
c)

Check Digit

The check digit is a single digit calculated from the

other digits using the Luhn algorithm.

2. International mobile subscriber identity

(IMSI)
With respect to individual operator networks SIM
cards are identified by a unique International Mobile

The Mobile Equipment obtains the

International Mobile Subscriber Identity
(IMSI) from the SIM card, and passes this to
the mobile operator requesting access and
authentication.

b) The operator network searches its database for

the incoming IMSI and its associated Ki.
c)

The operator network then generates a

Random Number (RAND) and signs it with
the Ki associated with the IMSI computing
another number known as Signed Response 1
(SRES_1).

d) The operator network then sends the RAND to

the Mobile Equipment, which passes it to the
SIM card. The SIM card signs it with its Ki,
producing SRES_2, which it gives to the
Mobile Equipment along with encryption key
Kc. The Mobile Equipment passes SRES_2 on
to the operator network.

e)

5.

The operator network then compares its

computed SRES_1 with the computed
SRES_2 that the Mobile Equipment returned.
If the two numbers match, the SIM is
authenticated and the Mobile Equipment is
granted access to the operator's network

Location area identity

The SIM stores network state information, which is

received from the Location Area Identity (LAI).
Operator networks are divided into Location Areas,
each having a unique LAI number. When the device
changes locations, it stores the new LAI to the SIM
and sends it back to the operator network with its
new location.

6. SMS messages and contacts

SIM cards store a number of SMS messages and
phone book contacts. The contacts are stored in
simple "name and number" pairs with entries
containing multiple phone numbers and additional
phone numbers will usually not be stored on the SIM
card. The number of contacts and messages stored
depends on the SIM.

III. CELLULAR NETWORKS

Every day, we make calls, send messages or connect
to the Internet using mobile devices but rarely stop to
wonder how it all works. Mobile communications
work by using low power radio waves necessary to
carry speech and data. When a call is made, the signal
is handed across a network of linked geographic
areas called cells until it reaches its destination and
hence the name cell phone. F or the transmission of
mobile voice and data services, a digital cellular
technology called GSM is implemented. GSM stands
for Global System for Mobile Communication and it
is the most widely accepted standard which makes
use of narrowband Time Division Multiple Access
(TDMA) technique for transmitting signals. The
GSM was developed using digital technology and it
has an ability to carry 64 kbps to 120 Mbps of data

rates. At the most basic level, digital radio signals are

transmitted from one mobile phone to another or to a
landline telephone. In reality, however, speech and
data will pass through a number of subsystems.

A. GSM SUBSYSTEM
Following are the functional entities of the GSM and
their logical interconnection. We will briey describe
these functional entities here.
1.

Mobile Station (MS)

Basically, an MS can be divided into two parts.

The rst part contains the hardware and software
to support radio and human interface functions
which is basically a mobile phone. The second
part contains user specic data in the form of a
smartcard or SIM card. The SIM card plugs into
the first part of the MS and remains in for the
duration of use. Without the SIM card, the MS is
not associated with any user and cannot make or
receive calls. The SIM card is issued by the
mobile service provider after subscription while
the first part of the MS would be available at
retail shops to buy or rent. This type of SIM card
provides personal mobility within the GSM
mobile network.
2.

Base Station Subsystem (BSS)

BSS is the physical equipment that provides

radio coverage to prescribed geographical areas,
known as the cells. It contains equipment
required to communicate with the MS.
Functionally, a BSS consists of a control
function carried out by the Base Station
Controller (BSC) and a transmitting function
performed by the Base Transceiver Station
(BTS). The BTS is the radio transmission
equipment and covers each cell. A BSS can serve
several cells because it can have multiple BTSs.
The BTS also contains the Transcoder Rate
Adapter Unit (TRAU). In TRAU, the GSM
specic speech encoding and decoding is carried
out. The base station receives the radio signal
and the information to be transmitted with its
receiving antenna. It relays this signal, via a
traditional cable connection or a microwave link,
to the mobile switching centre. The mobile
switching centre is responsible for routing calls
and handling the entire connection, including
ringing through to the end connection.

performed in the Authentication Center (AuC)

and Equipment Identity Register (EIR).

3.

Networking
(NSS)

Switching

Subsystem

The NSS includes the main switching functions

of GSM, data bases required for the subscribers,
and mobility management. Its main role is to
manage the communications between GSM and
other network users. Within the NSS, the
switching functions are performed by the Mobile
Switching Centre (MSC). The MSC performs the
necessary switching functions required for the
MSs located in an associated geographical area,
called an MSC area The MSC monitors the
mobility of its subscribers and manages
necessary resources required to handle and
update the location registration procedures and to
carry out the handover functions. The call
routing and control and echo control functions
are also performed by the MSC.
4.

Visitor Location Register (VLR)

The VLR is linked to one or more MSCs. The

VLR is the functional unit that dynamically
stores subscriber information when the
subscriber is located in the area covered by the
VLR. When a roaming MS enters an MSC area,
the MSC informs the associated VLR about the
MS and the MS goes through a registration
procedure.
6.

SIM
Application

Mobile
Station

Mobile Device

Base Station
Subsystem

Home Location Register (HLR)

The HLR is the functional unit used for

management of mobile subscribers. Two types of
information are stored in the HLR which include
the subscriber information and part of the mobile
information to allow incoming calls to be routed
to the MSC for the particular MS. Any
administrative action by the service provider on
subscriber data is performed in the HLR. The
HLR stores IMSI, MS ISDN number, VLR
address, and subscriber data.
5.

The figure given below illustrates the major

components of the GSM architecture.

Operation and Maintenance Subsystem

(OMSS)

The OMSS is responsible for handling system

security based on the identities of various
telecommunications entities. These functions are

Core Network
Mobile Switching
Centre

IV.VIRTUAL SIM
Mobile phones provide a wide array of services and
the most important being wireless communication.
Every mobile phone user can subscribe to the above
mentioned services provided by multiple service
providers. User specific carrier data which
authenticates a particular user is stored in smart cards
called SIM cards. Successful registration configures a
mobile user to the desired service provider. A SIM
card at the most basic level is a memory chip with
data pertinent to a specific user pre-loaded. When
plugged into a mobile device, data from the SIM is
retrieved thereby creating an identity for the device.
Some mobile wireless communication device
manufacturers
customize
mobile
wireless

communication devices for particular wireless

communication service providers within a country or
geographic region.

with the desired communication service provider

over the air thereby eliminating the necessity of a
smart card.

Carrier Service
Provider

Applicatio
n

1. Carrier 1
Vsim

2. Carrier 2

Processor

3. Carrier 3
4. Carrier 4

Memory

Carrier 1
User Name
Password

c
c

New to Carrier 1?
Sign up

In addition, a user of the mobile wireless

communication device can prefer to use the same
mobile wireless communication device at different
times with different wireless communication service
providers. Current methods cannot conveniently offer
the flexibility to offer different groups of users that
use the same manufactured wireless communication
device on the same wireless communication network
a different set of operational parameters, and thus a
customized user experience automatically without
manual user intervention. Thus there exists a need for
a method to configure a wireless communication
device based on a combination of identifiers stored in
the wireless communication device. With this
application we hope to configure a mobile device
with the desired service provider selected from a set
of stored configuration profiles.
The proposed application will enable users to avail
communication subscriptions from various service
providers without having to purchase a SIM card.
This application will configure the device of concern

The above figure illustrates a representative mobile

wireless communication device that includes a
processor that can access information, such as a set of
identifiers stored in the memory of the mobile device.
The
processor can
retrieve
carrier
service
profiles from the vSIM application of the mobile
wireless communication device. Each carrier service
configuration profile can include settings customized
for configuring the mobile wireless communication
device to operate on a particular communication
service provider's network. The application can allow
the user to choose among many different carrier
service profiles. When the mobile wireless
communication device recognizes the selected
carrier, a set of identifiers in the mobile can be
accessed to send wirelessly to the network provider.
A brief description of the procedure to be followed is
given below.

1.

A program code executable by the processor of

the mobile device for its configuration device
comprises of:
a) Program code for accessing a set of
identifier values stored in the mobile
wireless communication device;
b) Program code for selecting a set of
carrier service configuration profiles
based on combinations of the
accessed set of identifier values;

c)

Program code for configuring the

mobile
wireless
communication
device using one of the selected
carrier service profiles.
The user selects the desired network from a set of
carrier service profiles

2.

A set of identifier values for the mobile device,

that includes a country code value, a network
code value, and at least one additional
identifier value, are stored in a rewritable
memory unit.

Mobile Country
Code (3)

Mobile Network
Code (2-3)

Mobile Subscriber Identity

(<=10)

The above figure illustrates a format of an

international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI). The
first three digits of the IMSI can specify a mobile
country code (MCC). The final set of not more than
10 digits can specify a mobile subscriber
identification number (MSIN). A country or a region
can be associated with one or more MCC values.

3.

A mobile device, comprising of a processor

coupled with a memory unit, is configured by
the processor carrying out the following
functions:
a) Accessing a set of identifier values
stored in the mobile device
b) Selecting a set of carrier service
profiles using the accessed set of
identifier values
c)
Configuring the mobile device
using one of the selected carrier
service profiles.

The figure given below illustrates a method of

configuring a mobile wireless communication device
using a set of identifiers.

The mobile device is configured with the service

provider selected post successful registration

REFERENCES
[1] http://www.movirtu.com/#!worklife-virtualsim-platform/cuml

[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identit
y_module

[3] www.cs.usyd.edu.au/~elec5508/lectures/W05_
gsm_architecture_and_channel_structure.pdf

[4] http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/search/searchresult.js
p?
newsearch=true&queryText=sim+card&x=0&
y=0

[5] http://www.youtube.com/playlist?
list=PL0BGVTCiDO3jeLXOkzEdMru4z9PUl
WZLP

[6] http://www.youtube.com/playlist?
list=PL0BGVTCiDO3irtBYu4l8aGHDT3uhY

The program code gains access to the identifier

values stored in the mobile equipment

[7] A design of SIM Card interface for general

purposes. Ping Wu ; Wen Du ; Huijuan Cui
Communications, Circuits and Systems and
West
Sino
Expositions,
IEEE
2002
International Conference.