Telecommunications giant Verizon is relying on a completely new application for the blockchain. According to a current patent of the company, Verizon wants to create virtual SIM cards using Blockchain technology and offer them to its customers.
The Patent from 10. September presents a concept in which it discusses how a physical SIM card can be replaced by a software equivalent, i.e. a virtual SIM, and encrypted by blockchain. The account data including the appropriate network service would be transmitted to the telephone via the mobile network.
The blockchain smartphone then creates an entry with a vSIM certificate for the network services and an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) that uniquely identifies the user. The vSIM can thus be assigned to one of several mobile devices that are linked to the individual user account and, if required, can also be transferred between the devices.
According to Verizon, the data records on the vSIM blockchain are stored in a hash tree structure for efficiency reasons to ensure that blocks are received undamaged and unchanged, according to the patent.
This is not Verizon’s first step in blockchain. The company has previously supported a $15 million filament financing round. Filament is a company working on Blockchain hardware for the Internet of Things.
With this new development, Verizon is one of the first companies not only to deal with blockchain phones or hardware, but also to transfer current analog or physical elements into the digital age.
The use of the blockchain as a new type of SIM card is a recognizable added value and a great example of a digital evolution.
