COMPANY : GIESECKE + DEVRIENT

INDUSTRY : IT SERVICES AND CONSULTING

LOCATION : GERMANY

G + D was formed in 1852 and has grown a workforce of over 14,000 . As Senior Product Manager for SIM Connectivity Solutions , Tobias Lepper helps make businesses more secure .

“ We ’ re proud to say that G + D was at the very start of the SIM story , which stretches back over thirty years ,” says Tobias Lepper , Senior Product Manager for SIM Connectivity Solutions at G + D .

Yet the SIM card has since evolved . At the beginning of its life , it was an authentication tool that allowed simple cell phones to communicate . For a long time , handsets also had to be designed to a certain size to house removable cards so they could be moved to new devices as they changed hands or networks .

“ Today , it ’ s a multifunctional security tool that supports numerous applications , including mobile banking , the connected car with infotainment , navigation and emergency systems , smart home controls and wearables ,” Tobias explains .

Building on its history with SIM innovation , G + D delivered the first commercial eSIM to telecommunications giant AT & T in 2012 . Since then , the adoption rate of this SIM form factor has accelerated .

“ In February 2023 , we announced the milestone of 100m downloads of the G + D consumer eSIM and now already in June 2024 we have hit the mark of 200m downloads ,” Tobias shares . “ The embedded SIM , or eSIM , is permanently installed as a chip in devices , rather than being a removable card . We ’ re now seeing the eSIM being used for smart

92 September 2024