SIM cards supplier Giesecke & Devrient has reportedly signed an agreement with SIMCOM and u-blox (News - Alert), both manufacturers of machine-to-machine (M2M) modules.

As per this collaboration, these companies have incorporated special SIMs developed by G&D for the M2M market.

“We see tremendous potential for growth in the M2M market. G&D is working closely with a number of module manufacturers and network operators to help achieve breakthroughs for M2M technology in as many fields of application as possible,” said Klaus Vedder, head of the telecommunications division at G&D, in a release.

The release also mentions that the Swiss module manufacturer u-blox has integrated G&D's VQFN8 SIM with activated phone number in its ready-to-use u-blox C16 GSM/GPS reference design for telematics applications.

Shanghai-based SIMCOM has so far integrated G&D SIM cards with two of its modules, one of which is the SIM5218, which can send and receive data via UMTS, HSPA and EDGE. Additionally, it has also incorporated a GPS receiver for telematics applications.

Giesecke & Devrient (News - Alert) is a supplier of banknote paper, banknote printing, currency automation systems, as well as smart cards and complex system solutions in the fields of telecommunications, electronic payment, health care, identification, transportation and IT security. G&D began developing SIM cards for the M2M market at an early stage. It is said to be serving more than 200 network operators globally.

Market research indicates that the M2M market represents one of the greatest growth opportunities in the history of the business world, largely because the potential applications of M2M technology are so varied. G&D’s M2M portfolio features a broad range of highly durable and long-lasting SIM cards suitable for use in temperatures ranging from minus 40 to plus 105 degrees Celsius.