GB2499927A

GB2499927A - Mobile device with faster reading/start-up from multiple Identity Module slots, Module/Modem association switching and SIM Toolkit command management

Info

Publication number: GB2499927A
Application number: GB1307871.2A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mythri Venugopal
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-05-01
Filing date: 2013-05-01
Publication date: 2013-09-04
Also published as: GB201307871D0

Abstract

A mobile equipment (eg mobile phone) is equipped with multiple Identity Module cards (eg. (U)SIM, (R)UIM, UICC). For example a dual SIM dual standby device. At initial device power on, data (eg. phone book, SMS) is read from a master SIM into working memory and is available for use during background data reads from slave SIMs. SIMs may be associated with a particular device modems (eg. 2G or 3G) and these associations may be swapped whilst the phone is still active by deactivating and reactivating the SIMs with reversed associations. The switch may be initiated from a user menu or in response to operations/services requiring specific SIM/modem pairings. The mobile device can have a SIM Toolkit (STK) command queue which tags commands with a source SIM identifier. Thus, terminal response can be routed back to the original requesting SIM.

Description

1

Improvements in and relating to mobile communication devices having a plurality of identity modules

5 BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present invention is related to mobile telephones and similar mobile devices which are provided with the capacity to have more than one identity, often provided in the form of 10 multiple SIMs (Subscriber Identity Modules).

Description of Related Art

Whilst the majority of mobile telephones, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, 15 tablet computers or data communication devices (hereafter referred to collectively as mobile devices) are provided with a single identity in the form of a SIM or similar component, an increasing number are provided with the capacity to have a plurality of different identities.

Identity modules often take the form of a removable memory card, which is programmed 20 to include data identifying a particular subscriber. Other forms of identity module are possible and any device capable of identifying a particular user, device or subscriber is herein intended to be included in the definition of identity module.

One particular example is in the field of mobile telephony where a mobile telephone may 25 be provide with two (or more) SIM card slots for receiving two (or more) SIM cards, each of which is associated with a separate identity (e.g. telephone number). This capability is often provided so that a user can elect to use one of the multiple SIM cards in association with a particular network provider to access certain features. For instance, a mobile telephone may be provided with the ability to operate on both second-generation (2G) and third-generation 30 (3G) networks. The mobile telephone may have a first SIM card associated with the 2G network and a second SIM card associated with the 3G network. Such an arrangement can pose problems to a user who wishes to use a particular SIM to make calls on the network with which it is not routinely associated.

35 Embodiments of the present invention aim to address such shortcomings in the prior art.

Other shortcomings, whether mentioned herein or not, may also be addressed by embodiments of the invention.

2

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention there is provided an apparatus and method as set forth in the appended claims. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the 5 dependent claims, and the description which follows.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile device, the mobile device comprising first and second identity modules (SIMs), the first being designated as a master module, wherein a processor of the mobile device is arranged: 10 at power up of the mobile device, to read data from the first module; and to access data stored on the first module before data is read from the second identity module.

According to a second aspect there is provided a method of activating a plurality of 15 identity modules in a mobile device, comprising the steps of:

Reading data from a first identity module;

Enabling access to said read data by a processor of the mobile device; and

Reading data from the remaining one or ones of the plurality of the identity modules in the background.

20

Preferably the data read from the first and second identity modules is read into working memory of the mobile device.

Preferably, the data from the second identity module is read in the background, thereby 25 allowing the mobile device to achieve active operation in a quicker time than would otherwise be possible.

Preferably the data which is read from each identity module comprises at least one of phonebook data and SMS data.

30

Each identity module may be associated with a different access technology. Suitably, one access technology may be a current access technology and the other may be a previous access technology. By way of example, the first access technology may make use of a third generation (3G) standard and the other may make use of a second generation (e.g. GSM) 35 standard (e.g. GSM).

Alternatively, they may be associated with the same access technology, but each may be associated with a different network operator.

3

The mobile device may be provided with a pair of modems, each of which is associated with a respective identity module.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile device, 5 the mobile device comprising first and second identity modules (SIMs) and, associated with the first identity module is a first modem and, associated with the second identity module is a second modem, said modems being provided for performing data communication using information stored on the respective identity module, wherein the first and second identity modules may be deactivated, and then re-activated such that the first identity module is 10 associated with the second modem, and the second identity module is associated with the first modem.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a mobile device comprising first and second identity modules (SIMS), each 15 associated with respective first and second modems for performing data communications, comprising the steps of:

de-activating the first and second SIMS; and re-activating the first and second SIMS such that the first SIM is associated with the second modem, and the second SIM is associated with the first modem.

20

Preferably, after the first and second identity modules are de-activated and before they are re-activated, the mobile device is operable to perform functions which do not require use of access technologies associated with the identity modules.

25 The de-activation and re-activation steps may preferably be initiated by a suitable menu option, selected by the user.

The association of a particular SIM with a particular modem may preferably be controlled in hardware using a suitable hardware switch of multiplexer. Such a switch or 30 multiplexer may be implemented in programmable logic circuits in the chipset of the mobile device

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile device having first and second identity modules, each paired with respective first and second 35 modems, wherein if a user attempts to perform an operation determined to be invalid for a given pairing of identity module and modem, but said operation would be valid if the pairings were adjusted, the user may be notified and/or the pairing will be adjusted as per the third and fourth aspects set out above.

4

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a mobile device having first and second identity modules associated with respective first and second modems, comprising the steps of:

5 if a user attempts a particular operation, deciding if the operation is possible using the present associations of identity module and modem;

if the operation is not possible, alerting the user to the invalid operation.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of 10 providing SIM Toolkit functionality to each identity module provided in a mobile device which is provided with a plurality of identity modules comprising the steps of: determining if a SIM Toolkit command is being processed, and storing the command if it is so determined; determining which identity module issued the command; storing details of the identity module so determined; using the stored details for directing further SIM toolkit messages.

15

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile device operable to adjust the SIM/Modem associations according to the third aspect of the present invention, which is also operable to read data from the plurality of identity modules according to the first aspect of the present invention and to manage SIM toolkit messages according to 20 the seventh aspect of the present invention.

Advantageously, the different aspects of the present invention combine to offer a seamless and speedy process for dealing with issues associated with altering the SIM/Modem associations.

25

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the invention, and to show how embodiments of the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the 30 accompanying diagrammatic drawings in which:

Figure 1 illustrates the boot sequence as it relates to reading data from multiple SIMs in a prior art multi-SIM mobile device;

35 Figure 2 illustrates the boot sequence as it relates to reading data from multiple SIMs according to an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 illustrates how master and slave (or first and second) SIMs may be swapped under user control;

5

Figure 4 shows an example architecture of the relevant parts of a mobile device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

5 Figure 5 shows details of how a Multi-SIM mobile device is able to offer SIM Toolkit functionality for each installed SIM; and

Figure 6 shows an architecture for use with embodiments of the present invention. 10 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Figure 4 shows a mobile device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Further details of the operation will be given in the description which follows. As an overview, the device 100 comprises a controller 110, functionally connected to a SIM controller 15 120, which is operably connected to first and second SIM sockets 130, 140, in which are housed first and second SIM cards 200, 210. Also functionally connected to SIM controller 120 are first and second MODEMs 300, 310. The SIM controller maps each SIM socket to one of the MODEMs.

20 The controller 110 is in the form of a microprocessor or microcontroller. The controller

110 is functionally connected to working memory, store memory, a power supply and various interfaces, knowledge of which is not required for present purposes.

25 Figure 1 shows the steps involved at startup for a prior art mobile device provided with two SIM cards. This shows that at initial power up or after a hard-reset, the device's processor is operable to read all phonebook and SMS data from each of the installed SIM cards before any use can be made of the read data. Since the memory used on SIM cards is generally slower than that provided internal to the mobile device, it can take a relatively long time to read 30 all the data from all installed SIMs in these circumstances. The more SIMs that are provided, the longer it takes to read in all the data stored on them.

In detail, the four vertical lines in Figure 1 represent entities in the system for reading data from a SIM card. Firstly, the Controller 110 maps SIM1 and SIM2 to the respective 35 MODEMs at step S100. It then instructs the SIM controller 120 to read initialisation files from SIM1 at step S110. Next, at step S120, it reads SMS data from SIM1 and SIM2 and passes this data back to the controller to be stored in working memory. Next, at step S130 it reads the phonebook data from both SIM1 and SIM2 and transfers this back to the controller to be stored in working memory. Finally, once these steps have been completed and all SMS and

6

phonebook data has been read from both SIMs, the data is accessible to the user and, for instance, the read phonebook data can be used to place a call.

An issue with the prior art is that the SIM mapping are only performed at power up and it 5 is not possible to alter these without a power cycle, which is inconvenient for the user. A further issue is that it is generally only possible, on mobile devices supporting two different access technologies (e.g. 2G and 3G) for the slave or secondary SIM to access the older access technology (e.g. 2G). Furthermore, SIM Toolkit (STK or SAT) functionality is only provided for the Master or primary SIM. When data is read from both SIMs, there is a deal of 10 redundancy, in that both SIMs contain global variables which are duplicated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the processor of the mobile device is operable to read, into working memory, data from each of the SIM cards in turn, as before, but is able to make use of the data from each SIM card as soon as it has been read in, rather than waiting for data from all of the SIM cards to be read in. This allows quicker access to 15 phonebook data from the first SIM card, without having to wait for phonebook data from all SIM cards to be read in. The data from the second and possible subsequent SIM cards are read in as a background process.

In detail, Figure 2 shows the processes involved. Again, the four vertical lines represent 20 the same system entities as in Figure 1. At step S200, the controller 110 maps SIM1 and SIM2 to the respective MODEMs. It then instructs the SIM controller 120 to read initialisation files from both SIMs at step S210. At step S220, it read SMS data from SIM1 and passes this back to the SIM controller and on the controller for storage in working memory. At step S230, phonebook data is read from SIM1 and similarly passed onto the SIM controller and then on to 25 the controller for storage in working memory.

Steps S240 and S250 are similar to steps S220 and S230, but in respect of SIM2, rather than SIM1.

30 It can be seen that the actions performed to gather data from SIM1 and SIM2 are separated, as compared to that shown in the prior art system of Figure 1. In the embodiment shown in Figure 2, the user is able to access phone book (and SMS) data immediately after step S230. In this way, phonebook entries from the Master SIM (or SIM1) can be accessed and made use of while data from the second SIM (SIM2) is read as a background process.

35

In cases where more than two SIMs are provided, it can be seen how the system of Figure 2 can be expended readily.

7

Advantageously, the embodiment shown in Figure 2 allows quicker access to features from the first or Master SIM without having to wait for all the data to be read from the second or slave SIM into working memory. In mobile devices having more than two SIMs, the savings in time and increased convenience for the user are even more significant.

5

In a further embodiment of the present invention, means are provided in order to enable first and second SIM cards, which are associated respectively with first and second MODEMs, to be re-assigned so that the first SIM becomes associated with the second MODEM, and the second SIM becomes associated with the first MODEM.

10

The first and second MODEMs are devices provided in the mobile device which allow access to one or more features of a particular network or access technology. For instance, in a particular mobile telephone, a first MODEM may be associated with and support features of a 2G network, while a second MODEM may be associated with and support features of a 3G 15 network.

In prior art multi-SIM devices, if the user wishes to alter the SIM/MODEM associations, it is necessary to power down the device and physically remove both SIM cards and to re-insert them in different sockets before powering the device back on.

20

The controller 110 is functionally connected to SIM controller 120. The SIM controller is operable to control the mapping of the respective first and second SIM cards 200 and 210, (which are inserted into physical sockets 130 and 140 respective), with the first and second MODEMs 300 and 310. The MODEMs are further connected to other circuitry within the mobile 25 device, such as RF transceiver circuitry, but details of this are not required for the present purposes.

In normal operation, SIM1 200 is inserted into socket 130 and is mapped by the SIM controller 120 to MODEM1 300. Similarly, SIM2 is inserted into socket 140 and is mapped by 30 the SIM controller 120 to MODEM2 310. In prior art devices, if the respective SIM and MODEM associations require altering, the user would have to power down the device, would often have to remove the battery or a cover of the device, remove both SIM cards, physically swap them, re-assemble the device and power it back on so that the new SIM/MODEM associations were recognised by the SIM controller at power up.

35

Figure 3 shows the steps involved in the hot-swapping of the SIM cards. At step S300, the user selects a menu option to initiate SIM swap. At step S310, the controller 110 instructs the SIM controller 120 to deactivate SIM1, which causes it to be de-registered from its

8

associated network. At step S320, the SIM controller deactivates SIM2, which causes it to be de-registered from its associated network .

At step S330, the connections to the first and second SIM sockets 130, 140 are 5 physically swapped, using multiplexers or switches.

At step S340, SIM1 is re-activated, but is now associated with MODEM2 310.

At step S 350, SIM2 is reactivated, but is now associated with MODEM1 300.

10

At the end of the process shown in Figure 3, the SIMs are swapped with respect to the original MODEM associations. Whilst the swap is taking pace, which may take a few seconds the user is able to make use of other functions in the mobile device e.g. Wi-Fi access, diary functions, games.

15

If either of the SIMs are setup to require PIN verification on activation, the mobile device is operable to store the PIN for each such SIM so that the swap can be performed without the user having to re-enter it as part of the SIM swap process. Of course, if the mobile device is powered off, then the PIN will be required in the normal way, to prevent unauthorised use of 20 the mobile device.

In the embodiment of the present invention shown in Figure 4, the user is able to instruct the SIM controller 120 to alter the SIM/MODEM associations via a menu command. The controller 110 is operable to display to the user a menu choice, whereby the user is able to 25 select a menu item labelled "SIM SWAP" or similar. By selecting such an option, the controller 110, on receipt of the user's instructions, displays on the device's display a message "SIM Swap in progress" or similar. This may be displayed as a banner warning in a status area, so that the user is able to perform other tasks using the mobile device 100.

30 In order to swap the associations, the SIM controller 120 is connected to physical SIM

sockets 130 and 140 via a switch array or multiplexer, allowing the physical connections to be switched as required and to reflect the user's desire to swap SIM/MODEM associations.

By allowing switching of the SIM/MODEM associations in this way, without powering 35 down the mobile device, the user is able to much more conveniently access features normally associated with one of the MODEMs but not the other on his choice of network. As an example, if the user wishes to use SIM2 210 to make a call on the access technology associated with MODEM1 300 (e.g. using a 3G network feature such as video-calling), but SIM2 is currently associated with MODEM2 310, which only supports 2G features, the user is

9

able to quickly select the appropriate menu feature which sets in train the processes mentioned previously so that the user can make a video call using MODEM 1 300, with his identity being set by SIM2 210. This allows him to manage his bills and accounts easily. This can be useful if, for instance, the user has a first SIM 200 assigned to him by his employer for 5 work purposes, and a second SIM 210, which is for use with his own personal account.

Similarly, SIM1 and SIM2 could each be associated with different network providers so that if the user is travelling around a country or region, he may switch between SIMs to ensure that he is registered to his preferred network in a particular area.

10

In a preferred embodiment, the SIM controller 120 or controller 110 is operable to determine if a user is able to perform a certain function using his presently selected SIM, and to notify him if there is a problem, and possibly to initiate a corrective action. Of instance, if the user wishes to make a video call, but attempts to do this using the SIM associated with a 2G 15 modem in the mobile device, which does not support video-calling, he will be notified that this operation is not possible and may be given the option of initiating a SIM swap procedure, as set out previously. In this way, even a relatively unskilled user of the mobile device is able to benefit from the variety of features available.

20 Figure 5 shows a flowchart detailing how SIM Toolkit (SAT or STK) can be used with both SIMs in the mobile device.

It shows how when an STK message is sent by the master or slave SIM, a check is made (S400) to determine if there is any STK command currently being process by checking the flag bSATCmdlnProgress. If such a command is being processed, then the incoming 25 command is stored (S410). Otherwise, if there are no commands currently being processed, then a check is made (S420) to determine if the command was sent by the Master or the Slave SIM. The flag SIMId is then set to SIM1 (Master) (S430) or SIM2 (Slave) (S440), accordingly.

The flag bSatCmdlnProgress is set (S450) and the command is sent for further 30 processing. When a request is sent for a Terminal Response for the command, The TERMINAL response message is sent to the appropriate SIM (Master or Slave) depending on the SIMId set at step S430 or S440.

On receipt of the TERMINAL response confirmation, a check is then made (S460) to see 35 if there is a stored STK message waiting to be processed from step S410. If so, the steps from S420 are repeated for the stored command. Otherwise, if there is no stored STK command, then the bSatCmdlnProgress flag is reset (S470).

10

By use of such a process, STK functionality is made available to both (or each) SIM present in a mobile device. The skilled person will readily appreciate how such a system can be expanded for a mobile device having more than two SIMs.

5 Figure 6 shows a system architecture for use with embodiments of the present invention. There are three major sub units. The first on 200 is the Man Machine Interface (MMI). It comprises several modules or data sets, such as SMS data 210 read from the SIMs, contact data 220 read from the SIMs, phone shell 230 and system data 240. Other data sets or software modules are included here but these are not shown, for clarity.

10

The second major unit is the OEM 300, which is the controller for the system. It comprises a Boot Unit 310, which is operable to:

initialise frequently accessed multi SIM data stored in OEM;

request the Phone Shell (230) to initialise;

15 notify the Phone Shell (230) to display PIN entry screens for all SIMs, if PIN is enabled;

notify the MMI (Contact 220 & MSG 210) after each PIN verification to facilitate reading data; and notify the MMI (Contact 220 & MSG 210) on completion of SIM1 read to make the data read from it accessible.

20

The OEM 300 also comprises a controller 320, which is operable to:

maintain SIM specific data 330 (for any number of SIMs);

check if an MMI 200 request can be serviced in OEM 300 and, if not, to send the request to the relay unit 340 so that the platform 400 can handle the request;

25 handle STK messages, and queues if there is already an existing message being processed by the MMI 200;

initiate SIM swap functionality if user chooses the option through MMI 200.

The final component in the OEM 300 is the relay unit 340. It is operable to manage

30 communications with the platform 400, which controls the MODEMs. The relay unit 340 is operable to This ensures that SHP uses the same interface for all SIM functions (such as fn1(params, eSIMID SIMID_1)). It also acts to forward a request to the appropriate modem (Master 410 or Slave 420) based on the SIMID.

35 Lastly, the Platform 400 comprises the MODEMs 410 and 420, which are designated the Master and Slave respectively.

11

The skilled person will appreciate that other system architectures are possible, the the example set out above provides a convenient and efficient means of enabling the functions which have been described here to be implemented.

5 By making use of embodiments of the present invention, a user is able to enjoy a richer experience, with greater ease of use and no requirement to physically remove or swap SIM cards if he wishes to use different functions with one or other of his installed SIM cards.

The different aspects of the present invention offer particular benefits when they are 10 able to co-operate effectively to allow a user far speedier access to certain functions when the SIM/Modem associations are swapped. If a user initiates a SIM swap, as has been set out, access to the data on the SIMs would be more speedily available, as already set out and any SIM toolkit messages which are already being handled, can continue to be handled, as per the process described in relation to Figure 5.

15

Embodiments according to aspects of the present invention provide a tangible computer readable medium to perform the method as herein described.

At least some elements discussed herein may be constructed, partially or wholly, using 20 dedicated special-purpose hardware. Terms such as 'component', 'module' or 'unit' used herein may include, but are not limited to, a hardware device, such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), which performs certain tasks.

25 At least some elements may be may be configured to reside on an addressable storage medium and be configured to execute on one or more processors. That is, the elements may be implemented in the form of a tangible computer-readable storage medium having recorded thereon instructions that are, in use, executed by a computer or other suitable device. The elements may include, by way of example, components such as software components, object-30 oriented software components, class components and task components, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The tangible medium may take any suitable form, but examples include solid-state memory devices (ROM, RAM, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), optical discs (e.g. Compact Discs, DVDs, and others), magnetic discs, 35 magnetic tapes and magneto-optic storage devices.

The example embodiments have been described with reference to the example components, modules and units discussed herein. Where appropriate, these functional elements may be combined into fewer elements or separated into additional elements. In

12

some cases the elements are distributed over a plurality of separate computing devices that are coupled by a suitable communications network, including any suitable wired networks or wireless networks.

5 It should be noted that the various different embodiments of the invention described herein may be implemented individually or together, depending on the effect required. There is nothing inherently incompatible between then and greater benefit may be gained by creating a system using more than one of the described embodiments.

10

Attention is directed to all papers and documents which are filed concurrently with or previous to this specification in connection with this application and which are open to public inspection with this specification, and the contents of all such papers and documents are incorporated herein by reference.

15

All of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all of the steps of any method or process so disclosed, may be combined in any combination, except combinations where at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

20

Each feature disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings) may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or

25 similar features.

The invention is not restricted to the details of the foregoing embodiment(s). The invention extends to any novel one, or any novel combination, of the features disclosed in this specification (including any accompanying claims, abstract and drawings), or to any novel one,

30 or any novel combination, of the steps of any method or process so disclosed.

13

Claims

1. A method of providing SIM Toolkit functionality to each identity module provided in a mobile device which is provided with a plurality of identity modules comprising the steps

5 of:

determining if a SIM Toolkit command is being processed, and storing the command if it is so determined;

determining which identity module issued the command;

storing details of the identity module so determined; and 10 using the stored details for directing further SIM toolkit messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein directing further SIM toolkit messages comprises sending the stored command for further processing.

15 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, further comprising the step of sending a Terminal

Response for the command to an appropriate identity module.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

on receipt of a Terminal Response confirmation, making a check to see if there is a 20 stored command waiting to be processed; and if there is a stored command, repeating the steps of determining the identity module which issued the command, storing details of the determined identity module and using the stored details for directing further SIM toolkit messages.

25 5. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the mobile device comprises first and second identity modules, each associated with respective first or second modems for performing data communications, and the method further comprises the steps of:

de-activating the first and second SIMS; and re-activating the first and second SIMS such that the first SIM is associated with the 30 second modem, and the second SIM is associated with the first modem.

6. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the mobile device comprises first and second identity modules associated with respective first and second modems, and the method further comprises the steps of:

35 if a user attempts a particular operation, deciding if the operation is possible using the present associations of identity module and modem; and if the operation is not possible, adjusting the pairings as claimed in claim 5.

14

7. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising the step of activating the plurality of identity modules in the mobile device, comprising the steps of:

reading data from a first identity module into working memory;

enabling access to said read data in working memory by a processor of the mobile 5 device; and reading data from the remaining one or ones of the plurality of the identity modules as a background process.

8. A mobile device operable to implement the method of providing SIM Toolkit 10 functionality of any preceding claim, wherein the mobile device comprises first and second identity modules, the first identity module being designated as a master module, wherein a processor of the mobile device is arranged:

at power up of the mobile device, to read data from the first identity module and to store it in working memory; and 15 to access, in the working memory, the data from the first identity module, before data from the second identity module is read into working memory.

9. The mobile device of claim 8 wherein the processor is arranged to read the data from the second identity module as a background process.

20

10. The mobile device of claim 8 or 9 wherein the data which is read from each identity module comprises at least one of phonebook data and SMS data.

11. The mobile device of any of claims 8 to 10 wherein each identity module is 25 associated with a different access technology.

12. The mobile device of claim 11 wherein one identity module is associated with a preceding generation access technology compared to the other identity module.

30 13. The mobile device of any of claims 8 to 12 wherein each identity module is associated with a different access provider.

14. The mobile device of any of claims 8 to 13, further comprising first and second MODEMs associated, respectively, with the first and second identity modules.

35

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein:

said modems are provided for performing data communication using information stored on the respective identity module; and

15

the first and second identity modules may be deactivated, and then re-activated such that the first identity module is associated with the second modem, and the second identity module is associated with the first modem.

5 16. The mobile device of claim 15 wherein after the first and second identity modules are de-activated and before they are re-activated, the mobile device is operable to perform functions which do not require use of access technologies associated with the first and second identity modules.

10 17. The mobile device of claim 15 or 16 wherein the de-activation and re-activation processes are initiated by a suitable menu option, selected by a user.

18. The mobile device of any of claims 15 to 17 wherein the association of a particular SIM with a particular modem may preferably be controlled in hardware using a

15 suitable hardware switch or multiplexer.

19. A mobile device having first and second identity modules, each paired with respective first and second modems, wherein if a user attempts to perform an operation determined to be invalid for a given pairing of identity module and modem, but said operation

20 would be valid if the pairings were adjusted, the mobile device is operable to adjust the pairings as claimed in any one of claims 15-18.

20. A mobile device substantially as herein described, having particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

25

21. A method substantially as herein described, having particular reference to the accompanying drawings.