Russian SIM cards have become closer to Mikron – Kommersant

Zelenograd Mikron will produce chips for domestic SIM cards, the software for which is already being tested by telecom operators. Mass production, according to Kommersant, may begin in 2024. Now, according to experts, the annual need of Russian operators for SIM cards is 70-100 million pieces, and the capacities of Mikron will be enough for 20 million at best. A Russian chip for SIM cards is needed for the implementation of domestic cryptography on communication networks: this should eliminate the risks of stopping the provision of communication services and dependence on foreign technologies.

Sources of Kommersant in the market said that on May 5, a meeting was held in the office of Deputy Head of the Ministry of Digital Transformation Andrei Zarenin on the prospects for the production of SIM cards with Russian cryptography, as well as the introduction of technology on the networks of telecom operators. Representatives of the MTS, the Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering named after V.I. S. A. Lebedeva (ITMiVT), Telesystems Service LLC (TSS, now provide technical support for Nokia base stations on the networks of Russian telecom operators), etc. The Ministry of Digital Development, ITMiVT and MTS did not respond to requests, TSS declined to comment .

Work on the creation and implementation of SIM cards with Russian cryptography on the networks of telecom operators began in 2013. Developed an ITMiVT solution: in 2019, the institute created a software and hardware module that provides protection for the cryptographic keys stored in it, and also developed a SIM card, RBC wrote. Then it was assumed that the SIM cards themselves would work on Samsung chips. In 2021, RBC reported that cards with Russian cryptography were tested by Voentelecom.

According to one of Kommersant’s interlocutors, the ministry wants to “accelerate the introduction” of Russian SIM cards in order to eliminate the risks of communication problems amid dependence on foreign products and develop its own production: “There is an understanding of where to go, an agreement was reached to start forming a” road cards” to determine the timing. Chips for SIM cards will be produced by Zelenograd Mikron, another Kommersant source clarifies, mass production may begin in 2024.

Micron has the technical capability and competencies to master the mass production of chips for SIM cards, the company confirmed to Kommersant: “A specialized chip for SIM cards based on one of the platforms for mass production is already being developed, and the software is being tested by operators. The chip will be produced on topological standards of 180 nm and 90 nm.” At the same time, Kommersant’s interlocutor, close to the government, clarified that the annual need for Russian operators is 70-100 million SIM cards, “Micron, even when fully loaded, will be able to produce no more than 20 million.”

Telecom operators themselves are still wary of the project. “In order to implement new solutions on communication networks serving tens of millions of users, it is necessary to thoroughly test not only the performance, but also the correct interaction of SIM cards with the surrounding network architecture,” MegaFon emphasizes. When making any decisions on this topic, “it is important to understand how it will work on the existing communication network, but so far there is no such understanding,” VimpelCom adds. The idea with Russian cryptography “is not feasible in the next few years, since for its correct operation it is necessary not only to produce SIM cards, but also to modernize the equipment of operators,” clarifies a Kommersant source in one of the companies: “At the same time, foreign vendors left, and Russian analogues will not appear soon.”

Nikita Korolev