Truphone has been awarded a patent by the European Patent Office that will enable mobile SIM cards to automatically switch identity when users visit another country, negating the need to manually switch SIM cards.
The Truphone IMSI Broker, the latest of the operator’s core network technologies, can detect when the user has crossed outside the borders of the SIM’s home market and automatically select a network that offers better speeds, coverage or cost.
The patent has “far-reaching” implications in both the mobile device and M2M industries, Truphone claimed. For example, the technology will allow connected cars to cross borders without incurring roaming costs, and also ensures connected devices continue to operate optimally in other countries whilst complying with local regulators.
The technology will also allow users with “always-on” local numbers to appear local in multiple countries.
James Tagg, Founder and CTO of Truphone, said: “IMSI Broker is a critical component of Truphone’s network architecture. It is one of the unique technologies that differentiate us from other mobile operators. IMSI Broker allows us, and our customers, to make global connectivity simple and local.”
Truphone’s IMSI Broker has been awarded separate patents in Great Britain, the US, Australia, Singapore, Nigeria and South Africa. The patent is now going through translation and ratification stages.
Truphone styles itself as the “operator without borders” by offering customers a SIM card containing multiple international numbers and covering 66 countries with flat-rate pricing.
The company has said its customer base has grown dramatically during the past year, doubling twice between the end of Q3 2013 and Q1 2014.
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