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eSIM & iSIM For Dummies Brian

Underdahl
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eSIM & iSIM
Kigen 2nd Special Edition

by Brian Underdahl
Loic Bonvarlet, Kigen
Patrick Biget, Kigen
Jean-Philippe Betoin, Kigen

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eSIM & iSIM For Dummies®, Kigen 2nd Special Edition

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1
About This Book.................................................................................... 1
Icons Used in This Book........................................................................ 1
Where to Go from Here........................................................................ 2

CHAPTER 1: Introducing SIM Technology................................................ 3


Understanding SIMs.............................................................................. 3
Discovering eSIMs................................................................................. 4
Introducing iSIMs................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 2: Understanding Remote SIM Provisioning................ 7


Remote SIM Provisioning..................................................................... 7
Understanding Profiles......................................................................... 9
Considering the Key Features.............................................................. 9

CHAPTER 3: Looking at Benefits................................................................... 11


Benefits for Enterprises...................................................................... 11
Looking at Benefits for MNOs and IoT Service Providers.............. 12
Considering Benefits for OEMs and Module Makers...................... 13
Going to Market with iSIM IoT........................................................... 14

CHAPTER 4: Understanding Changes and Emerging


Opportunities................................................................................ 15
Understanding the Potential of IoT................................................... 15
Looking at Use Cases.......................................................................... 16
Seeing How eSIMs and iSIMs Open Differentiation Paths............. 18
Considering New Value-Added Services........................................... 18

CHAPTER 5: Ensuring Standards for Connectivity and


Data Security.................................................................................. 19
Conforming to Standards................................................................... 19
Understanding Accreditation............................................................. 20
Addressing Data Security in a Standardized Manner..................... 20
Enabling a Broad Ecosystem.............................................................. 21

Table of content iii

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CHAPTER 6: Understanding eSIM and iSIM Adoption That Is
Right for You................................................................................... 23
Looking at Secure Identity.................................................................. 23
Protecting Credentials........................................................................ 24
Seeing How eSIMs and iSIMs Provide Security................................ 25

CHAPTER 7: Ten Takeaways............................................................................. 27

iv eSIM & iSIM For Dummies, Kigen 2nd Special Edition

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Introduction
W
ith ever-accelerating deployment of the cellular
Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices,
it’s becoming apparent that there’s a growing need for
security. The most well established is found in smartphones — the
familiar SIM, or the standard subscriber identity module. SIMs
need to be replaced with something that’s smaller, more versatile,
and more efficient, or even dematerialized for the end user, while
maintaining the identity and security levels that SIMs provide. As
IoT devices begin to fulfill more and more functions in smaller
packages, ensuring seamless connectivity, saving space, and
reducing power consumption are becoming even more critical
parts of the design process. As those devices become ever more
ubiquitous and present across the globe, there is a growing need to
keep the devices and their data securely managed in field in a scal-
able manner economically. eSIM and iSIM evolve SIM technology
to achieve this affordably and open the benefits of global, secure
connectivity without the need for prior expertise in cellular.

About This Book


eSIM & iSIM For Dummies, Kigen 2nd Special Edition, introduces
you to embedded SIMs (eSIMs) and integrated SIMs (iSIMs), two new
form factors of SIM that provide all the advantages of traditional
SIMs while offering enhanced physical security, lower power
consumption, reduced size, and remote provisioning capabili-
ties. In addition, this book shows you that eSIMs and iSIMs offer
the promise of cost savings in handling, activation, and keeping
connnected — the total cost of ownership (TCO) associated with
the billions spent on handling SIMs.

Icons Used in This Book


This book uses the following icons to call your attention to infor-
mation that you may find helpful.

The information in paragraphs marked by the Remember icon is


important and therefore you should give it special attention.

Introduction 1

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Sometimes we need to introduce a bit of technical information
to more fully explain a particular topic. The text marked with
this icon is your chance to pick up a bit of jargon you can use to
impress your boss.

The Tip icon indicates extra-helpful information. Tips can save


you some steps, give you a better way to get the job done, or make
your life a bit easier.

This book also has its share of technical terms. You can find defi-
nitions for the terms shown in italics by turning to the Glossary
at the end of the book.

Where to Go from Here


You can read this book the traditional way, straight through from
front to back, if you prefer. Otherwise, you can dive in anywhere
if that’s your style. Each chapter is written to stand on its own if
you’d like to jump directly to a topic that interests you.

Or if you want more information than can fit in this book,


explore further on kigen.com

2 eSIM & iSIM For Dummies, Kigen 2nd Special Edition

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Understanding how eSIMs evolve
capabilities of SIM technology

»» Seeing how iSIMs represent the future

Chapter 1
Introducing SIM
Technology

I
oT devices bring the promise of many new possibilities, but
only if they can be connected and identified securely. This
chapter shows how the evolving SIM is designed to meet those
needs.

Understanding SIMs
In the early days of telecommunications, telephone compa-
nies could easily identify who was using their networks. There
weren’t very many users, and all connections were hardwired.
Fast ­forward to the era of cellular phone networks, and network
­operators needed a reliable method of identifying users, ­checking
the authenticity of endpoint devices, and securing their data. This
need spurred the development of the subscriber identity module
(SIM).

Over the years, SIMs have shrunk from the original plastic card
1FF (FF stands for form factor) to 2FF (Mini SIM), 3FF (Micro
SIM), and finally 4FF (Nano SIM). (See Figure 1-1.) Regardless of
the packaging, all SIMs are built on smart card (UICC) technol-
ogy similar to bank cards. The UICC is a secure computing chip
that contains memory and provides identification services. SIMs

CHAPTER 1 Introducing SIM Technology 3

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store operator “profiles,” a set of files with essential applications
and sensitive data, that enable authentication of a subscriber to
authorize access on cellular networks and charge for the provided
services. Traditional SIM cards have the operator-defined profile
programmed during manufacture.

FIGURE 1-1: eSIM and iSIM evolve the SIM technology for compact, energy
efficient, and remote IoT devices.

Discovering eSIMs
Despite being the most adopted and well established security
standard globally, the SIM technology has limitations for new IoT
devices and their data. Some of these issues include:

» Size: Even Nano SIMs, along with their socket, take up too
much space in very small devices.
» Fragility: User-replaceable SIM cards are easy to damage.
» Physical security: A pluggable SIM is easily accessed and
stolen to deny service or to connect another device.
» Management and cost: Because traditional SIM cards are
replaceable, they must be inventoried, shipped, and installed
in devices. Each of these processes adds associated costs.

Embedded SIMs (eSIMs) are an evolution of the SIM card designed


to address the limitations of traditional SIMs. They take a step
further with new functionality that’s needed to enable trusted
IoT devices. eSIMs are typically physical SIMs that are soldered
into the device and enable storage and remote management of
multiple network operator profiles (remote SIM provisioning),
offering the following advantages:

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» Seamless global connectivity: Networks can be switched
easily and without physical handling, anywhere in the world.
» Size: Because eSIMs are about half the size of Nano SIMs
and don’t require a socket, they easily fit in very small
devices.
» Durability: Users can’t reach eSIMs so they can’t damage or
lose them.
» Physical security: A SIM soldered within a closed device is
hard to locate, remove, and reuse.
» Cost: eSIMs reduce the total cost of ownership of the device
because they optimize and eliminate costly supply chain and
management costs.

The term eSIM can refer to either the embedded SIM form
factor or the ability to store multiple profiles and remotely pro-
vision them. An eUICC is a UICC capable of supporting remote
provisioning. Typically, the terms eSIM and eUICC are used inter-
changeably. This book uses the term eSIM.

Introducing iSIMs
Kigen recognized that, although eSIMs addresses many tradi-
tional SIM challenges, the technology could benefit from further
optimizations to achieve scale. The integrated SIM (iSIM) moves
the SIM from a separate chip into a secure enclave alongside the
application processor and cellular radio on a purpose-built sys-
tem on a chip (SoC). Delivering these three building blocks in one
embeddable component greatly reduced the circuit board foot-
print (see Figure 1-2), component sourcing, and IoT device man-
ufacturing costs.

eSIMs and iSIMs are hardware-backed security, dedicated physi-


cal circuits rather than soft SIMs (or software). This is an important
distinction because unlike software, secure physical circuits resist
advanced hacking. Device manufacturers and network operators
can’t afford the risks that would be associated with ­implementing
SIMs in software. Kigen’s standards-compliant SIM ­operating
­system (OS), combined with the secure hardware design of a
­System on Chip (SoC), gives iSIM its security assurance.

CHAPTER 1 Introducing SIM Technology 5

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FIGURE 1-2: iSIM builds on the eSIM enhancements reducing the size and bill
of materials.

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Seeing how profiles work

»» Understanding the key features

Chapter 2
Understanding Remote
SIM Provisioning

P
rovisioning is the act of installing the initial data and soft-
ware that a device needs to start functioning. For a SIM card,
this is essentially the programming of the mobile operator
profile in the memory of the chip for the SIM to be ready to con-
nect to a cellular network.

The emergence of new IoT devices, which require cellular


­connections, are driving a re-evaluation of SIM provisioning to
ensure they too can have their connections enabled remotely. This
chapter discusses how eSIMs and iSIMs take advantage of remote
SIM provisioning, which is simpler and more economical.

Remote SIM Provisioning


To understand remote SIM provisioning (RSP), it’s helpful to con-
sider how traditional SIM cards work. Imagine that you’ve just
bought a new cell phone. The next thing you need is a SIM to

CHAPTER 2 Understanding Remote SIM Provisioning 7

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connect to a network. The SIM you get will be preprogrammed
for the network you’ve chosen by storing your network operator
profile (also referred to simply as a profile).

This preprogramming is done as part of card manufacturing


using specialized equipment to inject the right data into the SIM,
also referred sometimes as personalization. You insert the SIM in
your phone and follow instructions to begin making calls or using
data services. If you want to change to another provider, you must
physically swap your old SIM for one from a new provider.

Now, consider a scenario where your company wants to deploy


tens of thousands of IoT devices that are globally distributed and
all need a cellular connection. You wouldn’t want to be the unlucky
person who had to insert each SIM into the correct device. What
if these devices need to be moved outside the original n ­ etwork or
can’t be reached easily?

To serve these needs, it is possible to deliver the required oper-


ator profile and other data essential for connection, remotely to
change the profile on a eUICC or integrated UICC already in field.
This removes the need to physical change the SIM hardware, and
is called remote SIM provisioning. This capability is particularly
important for the IoT sector, where individual physical device
management is often cost prohibitive because of the deployment
scale, remote locations, or inaccessibility of devices.

For large IoT deployments, a subscription manager allows you to


securely and remotely manage the profiles to deliver a seamless
customer experience for eSIM-enabled devices.

RSP comes in two flavors, as shown in Figure 2-1. The first is


a consumer solution that offer an end-user’s cellphone device
the ability to request or pull the required profiles, on the user’s
demand. The second flavor is an M2M (machine to machine)
solution, where the fleet owner can push a SIM profile and
needed data to an unattended device in the field. This is suita-
ble for many cellular IoT deployments. This book focuses on the
M2M solution.

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FIGURE 2-1: The two flavors of RSP.

Understanding Profiles
SIM cards enable network access through the use of profiles that
contain information about the related subscription. This infor-
mation includes the operator’s credentials and other unique
identifiers.

eSIMs and iSIMs implement the eUICC’s ability to store multiple


profiles in a secure storage. These multiple profiles are especially
useful for IoT devices that must be provisioned for multiple net-
works, such as tracking tags for international shipments. A tra-
ditional SIM usually contains only one profile matching only one
subscription. If necessary, iSIMs can also operate with a single
profile permanently associated to one network, but are not ­limited
to such implementation.

Considering the Key Features


Remote SIM provisioning opens the door to a range of use cases
not supported by conventional SIMs. For example, a device man-
ufacturer can embed eSIM or integrate an iSIM into devices and
install the operator profile at the production factory. When the
device is turned on, it can connect to a local cellular network,
making the device ready to use immediately regardless of location
(this is also called out-of-the-box connectivity). Instead of the

CHAPTER 2 Understanding Remote SIM Provisioning 9

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manufacturer holding stocks of SIM cards for multiple network
operators across the globe and coordinating which card should
be inserted into which device, every device can have the correct
profile remotely provisioned at the point of delivery.

Remote SIM provisioning allows manufacturers to drastically


simplify their procurement arrangements. It allows remotely
connecting devices and provisioning them securely over the air,
across the globe, and over their entire lifetime.

The GSM Association (GSMA; originally Groupe Speciale Mobile)


has introduced specifications to address remote SIM provisioning.
They cover the following elements:

» For M2M:

• Subscription Manager-Data Preparation (SM-DP): This is


responsible for preparing, storing, and protecting profiles.
It also downloads and installs profiles onto the M2M eSIM.

• Subscription Manager-Secure Routing (SM-SR): This is


responsible for managing the status of profiles on the
eSIM. It also secures the communications link between
the eSIM and SM-DP.
» For Consumer:

• Subscription Manager-Data Preparation + (SM-DP+): This is


responsible for preparing, storing, and protecting profiles.
It also downloads and installs profiles onto the eSIM,
along with binding it to unique identifiers and provides a
register of the hardware.

• eUICC (eSIM): eUICC is used interchangeably with eSIM.


These terms indicate a secure element that is not easily
accessible or replaceable and is designed to remotely
manage multiple network operator profiles in accordance
with GSMA specifications.

• Compliance: A set of established criteria ensures that the


necessary security protocols and required functional
aspects are delivered.

See Chapter 6 for help deciding what to include in your adoption


plan.

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Seeing how eSIMs and iSIMs offer
benefits by solving some key technical
challenges

»» Considering how eSIMs and iSIMs can


work for MNOs

»» Understanding what OEMs will gain

Chapter 3
Looking at Benefits

T
his chapter looks at how eSIMs and iSIMs offer tangible
benefits to enterprises, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs),
and device manufacturers.

Benefits for Enterprises


The emerging IoT marketplace enables more innovation and
faster access to information. eSIMs and iSIMs provide enterprise
benefits such as:

» Flexibility: Rather than putting up with the limitations of


generic devices, organizations can employ inexpensive
connected devices designed for specific tasks, or even
specific products.
» Cost reduction: The total cost of ownership of devices
(covering provisioning, product tracking, and procurement
arrangements) is reduced.
» Durability: Because eSIMs and iSIMs aren’t removable,
losses due to damage, vibration, and extreme temperature
are eliminated.

CHAPTER 3 Looking at Benefits 11

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Futureproof investment in IoT: Enterprises can commit to
IoT deployments with confidence that they will be able to
easily manage their IoT device connectivity remotely at a
global level.

iSIMs take a leap forward from eSIMs by being integrated into the
silicon an existing system on chip, so they provide significantly
reduced device costs and lower power consumption. They simplify
manufacture because of the reduced component count.

Looking at Benefits for MNOs and


IoT Service Providers
Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) also stand to gain numer-
ous benefits from eSIMs and iSIMs. Compared to traditional SIM
cards, MNOs can expect changes such as:

»» Reduced costs: For devices that use eSIMs or iSIMs, MNOs


will see the elimination of the distribution and inventory
practices associated with traditional SIM cards. MNOs won’t
have to purchase, stock, or ship SIM cards. They’ll also see
reduced support costs because of greatly simplified remote
SIM provisioning.
»» Increase in network connections: Remotely provisioned
eSIMs and iSIMs will enable MNOs to capitalize on the wider
adoption of cellular IoT devices by serving already deployed
devices that previously would have been permanently
attached to another MNO, thus increasing revenue opportu-
nities. IoT devices represent a new, fast growing market that
promises to continue growing for quite some time into the
future.
»» Maintain security: GSMA standards compliance ensures
that subscriber and network security remains strong and
interoperability is achieved.

eSIMs and iSIMs aren’t limited to being used in IoT devices. Cell
phone manufacturers are increasingly incorporating remote SIM
provisioning support in their new designs to reduce costs, so sup-
porting eSIMs and iSIMs will increasingly become necessary to
remain competitive.

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Considering Benefits for
OEMs and Module Makers
Device or original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and module
makers will see great benefits from the move to eSIMs and iSIMs.
These include:

» Reducing supply chain complexities and costs: The


number of global product variants is reduced because there
is no longer the need to implement multiple product lines or
Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) for different networks around the
world, leading to cost reductions.
» Control over connectivity and better customer experi-
ence: Device makers can have a greater influence over their
device connectivity and may offer connectivity for free or as
global data packs.
» Product improvement: The new technology offers signifi-
cant size reductions by freeing up space on the printed
circuit board (PCB), meaning resulting devices can be
extremely compact. Deeper integration improves power
performance (in the case of iSIMs) and reliability.
» Differentiation and capitalizing on IoT growth:
Incorporating eSIMs or iSIMs can become an element of
differentiation from competitors or the route to tap into the
full potential of IoT by offering devices that can be managed
easily and remotely.

8 out of 10 leading module makers have already adopted and


announced iSIM modules, and momentum is growing. Industry
analysts report that almost three out of four cellular devices by
2030 will support eSIM and iSIM.

iSIM has also been acknowledged and approved by multiple


global Tier-1 MNOs and leading Mobile Virtual Network Operators
(MVNOs) worldwide.

CHAPTER 3 Looking at Benefits 13

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Going to Market with iSIM IoT
Typically, a device maker would have to work separately with
a module vendor and the operator as well as a SIM vendor to
place multi-party agreements to add cellular connectivity to its
connected product. Figure 3-1 shows the procuring changes with
iSIM. The critical change is that the device maker can receive the
right combination of its identifiers pre-installed in its chosen
module. This can be personalized in-field to the OEM’s require-
ments with the selected operator profile.

Based on the design, silicon manufacturing process, and other


optimizations, iSIM can deliver better performance. On specific
combinations of the iSIM operating system and secure enclaves
tested by Kigen, this advantage was as high as ten times com-
pared to eSIM. This has benefits in many use cases discussed fur-
ther in Chapter 4.

FIGURE 3-1: An ecosystem approach to iSIM manufacturing improves time to


market for OEMs.

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Realizing the potential of IoT

»» Showcasing some use cases

»» Opening new paths

Chapter 4
Understanding
Changes and Emerging
Opportunities

N
ew technologies such as eSIM and iSIM create new oppor-
tunities even for those businesses that have no prior
experience or expertise in cellular. This chapter takes a
brief look at this emerging market.

Understanding the Potential of IoT


Low-cost, low-power IoT devices that can communicate via cel-
lular networks offer a huge range of brand new possibilities.
Tasks that were impossible or too expensive to consider suddenly
become easy and cheap.

For example, consider a manufacturer who needs to control costs


by only having parts on hand that will be used quickly. In the
past, shipment tracking was imprecise at best, so parts had to be
ordered in advance to ensure they’d be there when needed. With
cellular IoT-based tracking devices, it may be possible to use more
precise tracking information to maintain a leaner inventory.

CHAPTER 4 Understanding Changes and Emerging Opportunities 15

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Almost any task where something can be counted, measured, or
tracked offers the potential for automation through IoT devices.
Automation can be enabled with cellular IoT independently of
local connectivity options.

Looking at Use Cases


The emerging marketplace for cellular connectivity includes
thousands of possibilities, all of which share some common
needs: Devices must be securely identified and authenticated, and
they must be able to share important information. Consider the
following examples:

» Automotive: The automotive industry has been eager to


embrace this new technology because it provides exciting,
new ways to increase flexibility and after-sale support. For
example, mandated emergency call or e-call functionality has
resulted in the use of eSIMs with a permanent emergency
profile. This connectivity is only used for incident triggered
location and assistance support alerting in cars, heavy good
vehicles and increasingly other vehicles such as motorbikes.
» Agriculture: With global food supply, tracking food product
safety throughout the entire supply chain becomes more
important every day. eSIMs and iSIMs can be provisioned for
multiple networks, enabling real-time monitoring of storage
and transit environments to ensure food freshness.
» Asset tracking: With real-time logistics gaining more
importance as the critical enabler of how goods and services
successfully reach customers when they are needed, eSIM
and iSIM enabled asset trackers can offer enterprises
real-life inventory intelligence.
» Banking: The SIM or embedded Secure Element is already
used in smartphones as authentication for any mobile
banking or biometrics app. But it isn’t suited from a cost,
size, and power comparison for the wider range of IoT
wearables or other more compact size devices that need
resilient connectivity. Such devices are no longer limited to
Bluetooth tethering to a smartphone or on small area Wi-Fi
networks and can benefit from eSIM or iSIM technology.

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» Digital mobile passports or IDs: With the robust security
that iSIM can offer, a smartphone, home, or wearable can
use a dedicated device root of trust placed within the iSIM as
the authenticator of the user’s data, forming the basis of
mobile ID, digital wallets, and personal health or travel
records.
» Electric vehicle and renewable energy sources: Largely,
the growing number of renewable energy sources are IoT
connected assets. Once authenticated and secured by a root
of trust protected within the iSIM, the data streams from
these devices can be used for financial level transactions to
open new applications that move us to a zero-carbon
economy. Such examples can extend to other models where
an Economy of Things can be enabled through robust and
resilient security.
» Healthcare: Remote patient care is another fast developing
model for the use of devices and data that demands
stringent security and can benefit from remote management
with eSIM and iSIM.
» Micro-mobility: Comprising of journeys less than 15 kms,
micro-mobility transport vehicles such as e-bikes, e-scooters,
and more offer greener ways to travel and make cities more
sustainable. Due to the compact nature, and need to
maximize the battery life between charges, these solutions
benefit from eSIM or iSIM technology.
» Service-oriented business models: The combination of
being able to add connectivity into a device along with
security allow manufacturers to offer a service that users can
subscribe. Such rent-instead-of-buy models are gaining more
prominence in retail, healthcare, and more. These typically
require resilient connectivity that can be achieved through
remote SIM provisioning capabilities.
» Utilities: eSIMs and iSIMs offer new possibilities, such as
solving the problem of operator lock-in and reducing the
need for site visits. Smart metering is a particular area of
growth where eSIMs allow businesses to meet with evolving
regulations, support smart energy grid and address energy
or resource theft.

CHAPTER 4 Understanding Changes and Emerging Opportunities 17

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Seeing How eSIMs and iSIMs Open
Differentiation Paths
eSIMs and iSIMs enable devices to be smaller and operate on
less power while still containing secure cellular communications
capabilities. These attributes mean that manufacturers can cre-
ate new types of devices that are less obtrusive, easier to use, and
include new options.

Imagine, for example, that a company like Amazon or UPS wanted


a solution for the “porch pirate” problem of packages being stolen
from people’s front steps after delivery. Those packages contain
a barcode that’s scanned when the package is delivered, but the
shipper has no method of following the package after delivery. A
low-power tag containing an eSIM or iSIM could provide short-
term cellular connectivity to allow the package to be located if
it were moved to another place. Such a smart tag would only be
possible because it contained the eSIM or iSIM.

Considering New Value-Added Services


The transition to remotely provisioned eSIM and iSIM technol-
ogy will offer the potential for a whole array of new services. For
example, MNOs and IoT providers can offer a single managed
service for deployed IoT devices, leaving OEMs to focus on their
core activities.

On the other hand, OEMs can choose to add customer value on


top of the existing core (device) products, for example, by offer-
ing add-on services delivered locally. OEMs will also be able to
tap into the connectivity wholesale market, bundling connectiv-
ity with device rental plans or offering basic connectivity for free
with other services — as a premium.

18 eSIM & iSIM For Dummies, Kigen 2nd Special Edition

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Conforming to standards

»» Understanding the GSMA

Chapter 5
Ensuring Standards for
Connectivity and Data
Security

I
nteroperability of devices from different manufacturers with
other actors such as vendors or users is vital to the success of
any new technology. This chapter discusses how interoperabil-
ity is ensured through the establishment of and conformity with
industry-wide standards.

Conforming to Standards
SIM technology and cellular network authentication are founded
on the standards evolved by the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI). More recently, additional industry
groups such as Global Platform, the SIMalliance, and the GSMA
have enabled new technology concepts, including those support-
ing the remotely provisionable SIMs.

CHAPTER 5 Ensuring Standards for Connectivity and Data Security 19

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The GSMA has encouraged the industry in formulating documents
and processes to ensure the RSP technology is interoperable and
the ecosystem is secure.

These include the GSMA technical permanent reference docu-


ments (PRDs), which outline the architectures and functionality
and set out how a product or service should be built to allow it to
work successfully and support the RSP ecosystem.

The GSMA also created compliance and testing guidance docu-


ments that ensure providers can demonstrate that their products
or services adhere to the PRDs. The compliance documents out-
line the steps needed to achieve GSMA certification, including
accreditation.

Understanding Accreditation
The GSMA has set up two security accreditations schemes to pro-
mote best operational practices:

»» SAS for UICC Production (SAS-UP): The voluntary scheme


through which UICC manufacturers subject their production
sites and processes to a security audit
»» SAS for Subscription Management (SAS-SM): The scheme
for security auditing and accreditation of the providers of
eUICC subscription management services

Once RSP accreditation and compliance have been achieved, the


platforms, services, or products are issued certificates allowing
them to function with other accredited actors in the GSMA con-
trolled RSP ecosystem.

Addressing Data Security in a


Standardized Manner
As IoT devices proliferate into the billions, it’s vital for all users
and network operators that each of those devices has a secure
identity. Not only is this necessary to maintain needed privacy,
but secure identity is also important in maintaining public safety.

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IoT devices typically employ a number of isolated and trusted
components on their processers that are called Root of Trust
(RoT). Often proprietary, they’re spread across hardware, firm-
ware, and software elements, performing specific critical func-
tions. This creates inconsistency. As the SIM or eSIM or iSIM
benefit from GSMA’s defined and widely accepted standards, the
industry has declared the SIM to be the most secure root-of-trust
for IoT.

For security of a datastream, it’s important to have the assurance


that the data is from the device it should be from, is secure when
it was generated, and stayed secure during transmission. In other
words, it can be trusted and is from an authenticated device. The
GSMA has defined a standard that centers around the SIM, and
uses time-tested secure communication protocols used on the
Internet as best practice to help networks know that data coming
in from a device is secure and can stay secure until it reaches the
cloud. This has been termed IoT SAFE (IoT SIM Applet For Secure
End-2-End Communication).

IoT SAFE meets the needs of IoT security for all SIM form factors:
SIM, eSIM, and iSIM. But if you want to maximize IoT security, it
makes most sense to bake that RoT directly into the the System
on Chip (SoC), where it’s integrated into the heart of a device’s
capabilities from the beginning. iSIM takes IoT SAFE further than
any other SIM form factor as its existence in a device can be relied
upon. An iSIM’s security already offers industry-recognized
levels of protection of network and subscriber credentials that are
built-in from point of manufacture.

Enabling a Broad Ecosystem


Most experts expect a huge growth in cellular IoT. All these
devices will need secure authentication, connectivity, and usually
remote management capabilities. Establishing trust and interop-
erability in this technology will help to ensure broad and varied
ecosystems.

CHAPTER 5 Ensuring Standards for Connectivity and Data Security 21

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Here are just a few examples of the vertical sectors that will ben-
efit from the eSIM and iSIM ecosystem growth:

» Asset tracking: The new technology can allow more control,


simplify logistics, and lower tracking costs.
» Healthcare: Wearable health monitoring devices need high
reliability, connectivity failover, and an efficient level of
redundancy to allow patients’ conditions to be carefully
tracked and acted upon quickly in an emergency.
» Other industries: Various types of sensors provide vital
information via cellular connections. In each case, the needs
will vary according to the criticality of the information.

In addition, the broader ecosystem will bring many new ways to


offer value-added services. These services will leverage cellular
connectivity and secure identity verification. For example, con-
sider the following:

» Smart energy: Utility providers can use new devices to offer


dynamic pricing, real-time billing, and real-time access to
connected devices for remote monitoring, analysis, and
control of usage.
» Banking: Financial institutions can use cellularly enabled
verification on new devices to authorize any type of financial
transaction.
» Transport providers: Providers can use new devices to offer
targeted information or process payments.

MNOs play an important role in creating this broad ecosystem


because they need to offer more targeted plans to cater to the
huge variety of new use cases and price points. For example,
basic IoT devices won’t require a lot of data and likely not a lot
of speed. New data plans will be required to accommodate these
devices for the market to flourish. This changing landscape also
offers new revenue streams for MNOs and unlocks entirely new
types of customers who have not been able to take advantage of
the combined benefits of cellular networks and SIM technology.

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IN THIS CHAPTER
»» Ensuring protection of network and
subscriber credentials

»» Understanding eSIM and iSIM security

Chapter 6
Understanding eSIM
and iSIM Adoption
That Is Right for You

A
key driver for adopting eSIMs and iSIMs is to secure
identities and open new digital revenues. This chapter
discusses the basics of how identities of IoT devices are
secured and what considerations help you find the best solution
for your needs.

Looking at Secure Identity


Identity can be defined as a unique combination of attributes that
enable you to distinguish one individual or object from all other
individuals or objects. For example, to securely board a plane at
the airport, you typically need a photo identity document to ver-
ify yourself, such as a passport or driving license, and a boarding
pass with a name matching that on the ID. Additional means of
verifying your identity, such as passwords, usernames, or even
two-factor authentication, are commonly used in digital transac-
tions such as online banking.

CHAPTER 6 Understanding eSIM and iSIM Adoption That Is Right for You 23

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Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
CHAPTER XIX
IN THE HANDS OF THE TRIBE

The effect created by the sudden appearance of Bomba was


startling.
For a moment the savages gaped at him in stupefaction, eyes
bulging, jaws dropped. Then some of them raised their spears and
others hastily fitted arrows to their bows.
Bomba had been almost as disconcerted by his sudden betrayal as
the natives themselves. But now, as steadily as the tremulous motion
of the earth would permit, he stepped boldly out of his former hiding
place with hands up and palms extended, as a token that he came in
amity and goodwill.
The sign was one that was understood by all tribes that dwelt in the
jungle, and the threatening motions ceased. Spears and bows were
lowered and the natives stood looking at him in wonder. His bronzed
skin was almost as dark as theirs, but they knew by his features that
he belonged to a different race.
Not a word was uttered until Abino, who seemed to be the
spokesman of the group, took a step forward.
“Who is the stranger?” he asked. “Why has he come to the island of
Japazy?”
“It is Bomba who speaks,” replied the lad. “He comes from a far part
of the jungle and he would speak to Japazy, your chief. He comes in
peace. His heart is clean and he does not speak in forked words.”
“It is well that the stranger comes in peace,” returned Abino, “for the
spears of Japazy’s fighting men are sharp and their arrows sing with
joy when they sink into the heart of an enemy.”
“Huh!” grunted Boshot. “The men of Japazy would not waste an
arrow on a boy.”
The slur stung Bomba, but he knew the importance of keeping his
temper, and no change of expression was visible in his face. Still, he
thought it might be just as well to let them know at the outset that
though he was a boy he was no weakling.
“Bomba is but a boy,” he admitted, with an ingratiating smile. “But
Bomba has the muscles of a man. He will show you.”
He walked up to the dead jaguar, put his arm under it, and with one
mighty heave threw it over his shoulder.
There were excited exclamations among the Indians, and they
shrank back, looking at Bomba in awe. Not one of them, despite their
size, could have performed the feat so easily, if at all.
“The stranger is strong,” admitted Abino, and Boshot looked rather
sheepish because of his slighting remark.
Bomba noted the impression that had been produced and thought it
an opportune time to deepen it still further.
“Bomba is no weakling,” he said; “but the weapons he carries with
him are stronger than Bomba. His arrows go far and they go straight.
They find the eye of the cayman and the heart of the jaguar.”
“The stranger speaks big words,” retorted Sunka skeptically.
Bomba looked about him. At a distance of two hundred feet was a
high tree, on the topmost branch of which a buzzard was preening
itself.
“The buzzard is far away,” he said, as he fitted an arrow to his string,
“but he will fall when Bomba lets go the string.”
There were grunts of incredulity mingled with curiosity. This stranger
was giving them thrills to which they were unaccustomed.
“Shall Bomba’s arrow strike the body or the neck?” asked Bomba
with a show of indifference.
“Now we know that the stranger boasts,” broke in Tama. “If he hit the
body, he will do well.”
“It will be the neck,” declared Bomba.
The arrow sang through the air and the buzzard fell, transfixed by
the arrow lodged in its neck.
Again there was an outburst of excited exclamations. The natives
had never seen such shooting.
“That is but little,” said Bomba, satisfied with the impression he had
produced. “Bomba has a fire stick in his pouch that speaks with the
voice of thunder, and when it speaks something dies. But he will not
show it now.”
The Indians looked at him with awe. Gone was the half contempt
with which they had at first regarded him. No such boy had ever
been seen in those parts before. In their superstitious minds was the
vague, confused impression that perhaps he was one of the gods.
“Bomba would see Japazy,” went on the lad. “He has come from a
far country to speak with him. Perhaps the warriors of his tribe will
show Bomba where the chief dwells?”
They looked at each other questioningly.
“He is a bold man who would speak with Japazy,” said Abino.
“Japazy does not like strangers. Some have been cast on the island
from the river, and they have never gone back to speak of the island
of the big cats. They have gone to the place of the dead.”
This had not an auspicious sound, and Bomba for a moment felt an
uncomfortable chill creeping up his spine.
“Bomba has no evil thought in his mind,” the lad rejoined. “He does
not seek any of Japazy’s goods, and he will not say anything that will
bring harm to Japazy or his people. He would only ask a question of
Japazy.”
His hearers still looked extremely dubious, and Bomba thought that
he could detect pity in some of the glances directed toward him.
“It is not for Japazy’s people to know what is in the mind of their
chief,” said Abino. “Japazy does as he wills and his words mean life
or death.”
“He will speak life for Bomba,” replied the lad, with an assumption of
confidence that he was a long way from feeling. “Will Japazy’s
fighting men take Bomba to their chief?”
They drew apart and conferred together. It was evident that even this
simple request required thought before it could be granted. Bomba
could see that, if Japazy resented his coming, his wrath might fall
upon those who had brought the unwelcome stranger to his
presence instead of killing him on the spot.
There was an animated discussion that at times almost reached the
dimensions of a quarrel. But at last they came to a conclusion and
Abino turned toward Bomba.
“The stranger shall go to Japazy,” he announced. “But he must have
his hands bound so that he may do no harm to Japazy or his
people.”
Bomba took a step backward.
“Bomba is free,” he said proudly. “It is not meet that he have his
hands bound as though he were a slave. His hands will do no hurt to
Japazy or the people of his tribe. Bomba’s heart is good. Has he not
said that he came in peace? May the curse of the gods rest on
Bomba, if he means harm.”
His earnestness seemed to make an impression, but still the
tribesmen hesitated.
“The stranger then must give up his bow and his knife and the fire
stick that speaks with the voice of thunder,” suggested Abino, as a
compromise.
But Bomba shook his head.
“The bow, the knife and the fire stick are Bomba’s friends,” he
declared. “Without them he would be like a man without arms and
legs. They will do harm to no one but the wicked. Bomba will keep
his friends.”
They could have fallen upon him and overpowered him by sheer
weight of numbers. But they had seen a demonstration of his skill
and knew that he would take toll of some of them before he
succumbed. Any one who could shoot a buzzard through the neck at
two hundred feet and sling a jaguar over his shoulders, was to be
treated with respect. And doubtless the mention of the fire stick that
spoke with the voice of thunder had been extremely potent.
Again there was a discussion and again the Indians yielded the point
in question.
“It shall be as the stranger wills,” announced Abino. “The warriors of
Japazy will skin the jaguar and take its meat and then they will lead
the stranger to the place where Japazy dwells.”
“It is well,” said Bomba, with more relief than he allowed to appear.
“The men of Japazy have good hearts.”
The men set to work on the jaguar, and Bomba helped them. The
dexterity and sureness with which he wielded his knife contributed
still further to the respect the Indians had conceived for him.
When the work was finished the men lifted up their respective
burdens and led the way, with Bomba bringing up the rear. He did
not think that any treachery was intended, for Abino, somehow, had
given him an impression of sincerity. But he was on the alert and
ready for instant action at any suspicious movement, for his life in
the jungle had taught him to take no chances.
Nothing untoward developed, however, and before long they came to
the straggling outskirts of a village that seemed to have a
considerable population. From every hut, as the little procession
moved along, people poured out with exclamations of curiosity as
they stared at the stranger who should have been a captive and yet
walked behind the rest more with the air of a conqueror.
Most of the houses were of the usual native cabin type, but in the
center of the town was a building of so much greater pretensions
that Bomba concluded it must be the dwelling of Japazy.
Abino led Bomba to a little cabin not far from the palace, if it could be
dignified by that name, and left him there with the promise that he
would see Japazy and return.
He did return in less than five minutes.
“Japazy is gone!” he declared abruptly.
CHAPTER XX
DAZZLING TREASURE

Something like a stab pierced Bomba’s heart when he heard Abino


make the announcement that Japazy was gone.
“Gone?” he cried, springing to his feet. “Japazy gone? Has Bomba
come so far through the jungle only to find that Japazy is not on the
island of the big cats? Where has he gone? When will he be back?”
“Abino does not know,” was the answer. “Japazy goes when and
where he will. He does not ask counsel of the elders of the tribe. It is
enough that he wants to go. But he does not stay away long. The
stranger will have to wait.”
“Has he gone away from Jaguar Island, or is he going about among
his people in the other villages?” asked Bomba.
“There is no village but this,” replied Abino. “Once there were many
on the island, but the big cats have come and killed so many of the
people that they have all come together in this place so that they will
be safe. The big cats do not come where they are so many fighting
men. No, Japazy is not on the island. He has gone away over the
water.”
The sunken city of which Hondura had spoken came into Bomba’s
mind.
“Is it that he has gone to the place where stood the city that had
towers of gold?” he asked.
A startling change came into Abino’s tone and manner. His glance
seemed to bore Bomba through and through.
“What foolish words are these that the stranger speaks?” he
demanded sharply. “There is no city that has towers of gold. It is not
well to ask too many questions. Men have asked questions of
Japazy, and he has cut out their tongues. If the stranger is wise, he
will let others speak while he listens. Abino has spoken.”
Bomba realized that he had touched upon a forbidden subject. For
some reason, the sunken city was a secret that was jealously
guarded. He resolved to be discreet.
“Abino speaks wise words,” he said placatingly. “Bomba will keep
them in his heart. He will wait in patience till Japazy returns.”
“That is well,” returned Abino, mollified. “Bomba shall have food and
drink and none shall harm him. And he shall have a place to sleep in
the house of Japazy until the chief comes back from his journey.
Bomba can come now and Abino will take him to the place where he
shall stay.”
Bomba rose and followed his guide. His appearance outside was
again the signal for an outpouring of the curious. There had been
time now for the warriors who had first met this stranger to spread
abroad the story of his strength and skill, and there was manifest
respect in the fact that, while they followed him, they were careful not
to come too close. Who of them knew but that this youth who
boasted of a fire stick that spoke like thunder might be a god?
Under other circumstances Bomba’s pride would have been gratified
by this tribute. But his whole thought was centered now on the
disappearance of Japazy. This had not entered into his calculations.
He bitterly regretted that he had not come sooner. Suppose Japazy
never came back? Life was a precarious thing in this part of the
world. Usually it hung by a thread. The bite of a snake, the spring of
a jaguar, and Japazy’s lips might be sealed forever. Then Bomba’s
last hope of learning the secret of his parentage would have
vanished.
The crowd halted at the entrance to Japazy’s great dwelling.
Evidently it was forbidden ground except to the chosen few, such as
Abino, who, as Bomba learned later, was Japazy’s chief counselor
and who had charge of all matters pertaining to the tribe during his
master’s absence.
Followed by Bomba alone, Abino led the way through a massive
door, well furnished with bars and bolts to protect its owner in case of
invasion or revolt. And once inside, Bomba saw a sight that fairly
dazzled him.
He had never been in any house but a native hut, with its rude and
scanty furniture. He had expected to see something more elaborate
in the dwelling of Japazy. But he was by no means prepared for the
splendor that burst upon him.
There were objects here that might have graced any palace in
Europe. Beautiful paintings hung on the walls. Sumptuous rugs
covered the floors. Splendid chairs and divans were scattered here
and there. Silken tapestries hung as portières at the entrances of
various rooms that opened from the main hall. There were statues of
marble, tables cunningly carved and inlaid with gold and precious
stones, curious medallions and intaglios, suits of armor and swords
of the finest steel, a vast number of objects of art of all kinds
scattered about in profusion.
Bomba had never seen anything of the kind, never dreamed of them,
never known that they existed. It was as though he had been
translated to another world.
Where had these things come from? How had they been secured?
Then light flashed upon Bomba. They must have come from that city
of which Hondura had spoken, the city whose very towers had been
of gold! Somehow, Japazy had found access to that city—or what
was left of it. No wonder that he guarded his secret so jealously!
Bomba had no knowledge of values. He had never seen money. But
he knew vaguely that here was something infinitely precious,
infinitely desirable. And the white blood in him, with its inheritance of
taste and culture and love of the beautiful, as well as the little
knowledge of wider things that Casson, before that devastating gun
explosion, had given him, told him that he was in a treasure house.
Were things like these, he asked himself, the things that white
people had in the homes and cities that Frank Parkhurst had told him
about? Were they things that he, Bomba, might have, if he were
living with the race to which he belonged?
He stole a glance at Abino. The savage was standing there stolidly,
indifferently, in a bored attitude. Bomba sensed that the man had not
the slightest appreciation of the beauty by which he was surrounded.
He had the soul of a native of the jungle, incapable of being touched
by anything but the most primitive needs of life.
But why should Japazy then appreciate and collect them? The
explanation dawned on Bomba. Japazy was a half-breed. Some of
his blood was white. And Sobrinini had known Japazy when they
were both parts of that faraway country where the white people
dwelt. So Japazy had learned what beauty was, and the part of him
that was white had yearned for these things! He had gathered them
from the sunken city, where once a great civilization had flourished,
and had furnished his dwelling with the splendor of the distant white
civilization.
Bomba felt an increased respect for the chief he had come to see.
Part of the blood, anyway, of this man was white. And were not all
white men brothers? Would not Japazy feel a touch of kinship and
give him freely the information that he sought?
It never occurred to Bomba that in giving Japazy credit for taste and
a love of beauty for its own sake he might be paying too high a
tribute to the half-breed. That the latter should be collecting these
things for mercenary purposes with the design, when he should have
enough, of shipping them overseas and selling them at fabulous
prices, and then following them to live for the rest of his life in wealth
and luxury amid the civilization whose value he knew, did not enter
Bomba’s mind.
In the center of the largest room stood a platform covered with a
cloth of scarlet and gold, and on this was a great carved chair that
doubtless served Japazy as a throne. Bomba could figure the half-
breed sitting there, stern and commanding, clothed in gorgeous
raiment the better to emphasize the distance between him and his
dependents who bowed cringingly before him.
Abino seemed to realize what Bomba was thinking, and he
answered the unspoken question.
“It is from here that Japazy rules his people,” said Abino in tones of
reverence. “Here he speaks the words that mean life or death. It is
here that the stranger will stand when he is brought in to where
Japazy waits to hear him.”
Words that mean life or death! Which of the two would they mean to
him, Bomba wondered.
“Come,” said Abino, “and Abino will show you the place where you
are to stay.”
He led him to a room at some distance from that large central hall
and motioned him to enter.
In contrast to the other room, it was very simply and plainly
furnished. Still, it was in the style of the white people, with chairs and
table, a rug on the floor and a bed with a mattress, sheets and
coverings.
Bomba felt strange and abashed. He had never sat on a chair, never
slept in a bed. But he restrained his feelings in the presence of
Abino. After all, he was white, and his heart swelled at the thought.
This would be his chance to do as white folks did, sit on a chair,
sleep in a bed, try to imagine by so doing that he was getting a little
closer to his own people for whom his heart yearned. When he did
find them he did not want to have them ashamed of him.
“It is in this room that people stay who come from afar to have talk
with Japazy,” Abino remarked. “Some of them, after he has heard
their words, go away again. But some do not go away.”
The last words had an ominous ring and were not calculated to add
to Bomba’s peace of mind. But he gave no sign, and a look of
admiration that the native could not repress came into Abino’s eyes.
“The stranger is brave,” he said. “His arms are strong and his eye is
straight. Abino does not forget how the stranger slung the jaguar
over his shoulder and how he shot his arrow through the neck of the
buzzard on the top of the tall tree. But it is not enough for one who
stands before Japazy to have strong arms and a straight eye. He
must have a heart that does not tremble.”
“Is Japazy then so terrible?” asked Bomba.
“The stranger shall see for himself,” answered Abino. “Japazy’s eyes
shoot lightnings. His voice is like the thunder. No arrow can pierce
him, no knife can bite him. For he has ghosts and demons that obey
his words. They turn aside the arrows. They dull the edge of the
knife. But it is not well to talk of Japazy. The stranger will rest here
and Abino will send him food. Then, after he has eaten, the elders of
the tribe will come and talk with him.”
“They are good words that Abino speaks,” answered the lad. “Bomba
will be glad to talk to the elders of the tribe and tell them why he has
come to Jaguar Island.”
Abino withdrew, and Bomba welcomed the chance to be alone. He
had been under a terrific strain, mentally and physically. Now he
could relax for a while before he had to brace himself again for the
interview that was coming.
His eyes, glancing around the room, caught sight of a picture on the
wall. At the sight his heart almost leaped from his body.
The pictured face of the portrait was that of the same lovely woman
who had looked down at him from the portrait in the dwelling of
Sobrinini!
CHAPTER XXI
THE DEEPENING MYSTERY

With one bound Bomba was across the room and looking at the
picture with all his soul in his eyes.
Yes, it was the same beautiful face, girlish and appealing, the soft
hair waving back from the broad forehead, the half-smiling lips, the
eyes that were dark and melting. And the eyes looked down at him
now as they had looked at him in the hut of Sobrinini, full of love and
tenderness, while the lips seemed ready to murmur words of
endearment.
What chords of memory did that face stir in Bomba’s heart? What
recollections, faint and dim as some far off strains of music, were
tugging at his consciousness? What vague memory told that
desolate lad that he was looking at the pictured face of his mother?
His mother! The mother who perhaps had sung to him the lullaby
that Sobrinini had crooned, who once perhaps had caressed him,
kissed him, called him Bonny, her Bonny!
A passion of tears welled to the boy’s eyes. His heart was stirred to
its depths.
But he dashed the tears away. A native might enter at any minute
and might attribute them to weakness, to fear at the situation in
which he found himself. Above everything, he must remain master of
himself.
How came that picture in the dwelling of Japazy, the half-breed?
Why had a similar picture been in the hut of Sobrinini? What
mysterious link was there between the lovely original of that picture
and Sobrinini, the witch woman, Japazy, the master of Jaguar Island,
Jojasta, the medicine man of the Moving Mountain, and Casson, his
friend and former protector? Somewhere, some time, those residents
of the Amazonian jungle had known the mysterious Bartow, his wife,
Laura, and perhaps the little child named Bonny. How had fate
brought them together? And how had fate torn them apart?
The door of his room opened, and a boy appeared, bringing a tray of
food. It was savory and abundant, and Bomba ate it with a relish.
The boy, who seemed to be about twelve years old, stood by,
watching him with black, beadlike eyes. Curiosity was in the eyes
and awe, awe of this bold stranger, only a little older than himself in
years, but vastly older in strength and experience, who had dared to
take his life in his hands and come to ask questions of the dreaded
Japazy, the lord of life and death on Jaguar Island.
“What is your name?” asked Bomba, who took a liking to the
youngster.
“Thy servant’s name is Solani,” answered the boy. “He is the son of
Abino.”
“Solani has a good father,” said Bomba diplomatically.
“Yes,” answered the boy proudly. “There is no one so wise on the
island of the big cats as Abino, except Japazy himself.”
“Has Solani ever seen ghosts or demons?” asked Bomba. “It is said
that there are many on the island.”
The boy looked about fearfully.
“There are many here,” he answered. “They keep Japazy from harm.
But no one can see them except Japazy. His eyes see everything.”
“Bomba saw some lights on the river,” said the jungle boy,
determined to draw Solani out, for he saw that he was in a
responsive mood. “Bomba did not know but what the lights were the
campfires of the ghosts.”
“The lights are burning brushwood,” explained Solani. “They are
thrown out from the earth when Tamura, the mountain, is angry and
his anger breaks great holes in the ground.”
“Is Tamura often angry?” asked Bomba.
“Many times he speaks in thunder and throws out rocks and rivers of
fire that eat up whatever they touch,” replied Solani. “Tamura has
killed many of our people. The old men say that he will not be silent
until some stranger is offered up to him. Then he will be satisfied and
make no more thunder.”
As Bomba, as far as he knew, was the only stranger at that time on
the island, there was something decidedly uncomfortable in this
information.
At this moment Abino entered, followed by several old men whom
Bomba took to be the chief advisers of the tribe.
Abino motioned to his son to take away the empty dishes and what
food remained, and then he and his companions squatted on their
haunches in a semicircle and gazed fixedly at Bomba.
They said nothing, and their stare persisted so long that Bomba
became restless and himself broke the silence.
“It was good of Abino to send Bomba food,” he said. “There was
much food and it was good.”
“The stranger must not starve until Japazy hears what words the
stranger has to say to him,” replied Abino.
“They will not be many words,” replied Bomba. “They will not make
Japazy shoot lightnings from his eyes. Bomba comes in peace and
his words are good words.”
“What are the words that the stranger would speak with Japazy?”
asked one of the most aged and wizened of his visitors.
Bomba hesitated. Would Japazy resent his confiding his mission to
any one but himself?
On the other hand, he had already gotten some useful information
from Solani. The mention of human sacrifices, for instance, had put
him on his guard, if, in the future, any such thing should be
attempted. Perhaps in conversation with these elders of the tribe he
might learn something else that might be of value to him.
Moreover they had asked him the question, and any lack of
frankness on his part might deepen the suspicion they already
entertained as to his motives.
He decided to answer.
“Bomba would ask Japazy who are the father and mother of Bomba
and how he can find them if they are still alive,” the lad stated.
Bomba caught the quick glances that passed between the Indians at
this announcement, and he was not unaware of the look that Abino
flashed at the picture of the lovely woman on the wall.
“Why does the stranger think that Japazy can tell him who his father
and mother are?” asked Abino, after a pause.
“Sobrinini told Bomba that Japazy knew,” returned Bomba.
“Sobrinini!” exclaimed one of his auditors. “She is the witch woman
who dwells on the island of snakes. To go to that island is death.
How, then, does the stranger say that he has had speech with
Sobrinini?”
“Bomba’s tongue is not forked,” replied the lad. “Bomba went to the
island of snakes and had speech with the witch woman. Then he
took her away from the island and gave her shelter in the hut of
Bomba and the good white man, Casson.”
“Why did not Sobrinini tell the stranger of his father and mother?”
asked his questioner incredulously.
“Sobrinini tried to tell, but the gods had put clouds on her mind and
she could not see through them,” answered Bomba. “But she could
see Japazy through the clouds and she said he would know. So
Bomba is here.”
The promptness and sincerity of his answers evidently had some
effect on his visitors. They looked at each other uncertainly. Then the
eldest of them spoke.
“There is much gold on the island of the big cats,” he said slowly.
“Strangers have come here before, and their words were as smooth
as the skin of the baby and as sweet as honey in the comb. But they
said one thing with their tongue and another in their heart. The
demons that guard Japazy told him what word was in the stranger’s
heart; and that word was gold. The strangers did not go away again
from the island of the big cats.”
“Bomba has not two ways of speaking,” answered the lad. “The
words from his lips are the same as the words in his heart. Bomba
does not care for the gold of Japazy. He would not know what to do
with it if Japazy gave it to him. May the gods lay their curse on
Bomba if he is not speaking from a clean heart!”
Another long pause ensued.
“Is it true that the stranger does not even know the name of his
father or that of his mother?” asked one of the group.
“Bomba does not surely know,” returned the lad. “But when Sobrinini
saw Bomba she called him Bartow. And Jojasta of the Moving
Mountain called him Bartow. They thought Bomba was Bartow or
Bartow’s ghost. So if Bomba looked so much like Bartow, it may be
that Bartow was Bomba’s father. And Sobrinini spoke of Laura. And
Casson spoke of Laura. It is in Bomba’s heart that that may have
been the name of his mother.”
Was it fancy, or did Abino again steal a glance at that picture on the
wall?
“It is well,” said the oldest of the group as he rose to his feet, an
example followed by the others. “We will think over what the stranger
has said.”
The old men went out of the room silently, in single file. But the
silence persisted only until they had gone some distance down the
corridor that led to the large hall. Then they broke out into excited
speech.
Bomba would have given a great deal to know what they were
saying, but they were too far away for him to hear them distinctly.
After they had gone out of the door of the building, however, their
way led them under his window. They were still talking excitedly,
and, as he strained his ears, these words floated up to him:
“Bartow! Was not that the name of the man Japazy killed?”
CHAPTER XXII
THE CREEPING DEATH

Bomba, his head in a whirl, staggered back from the window when
he heard the sinister words:
“Was not that the name of the man Japazy killed?”
Was it possible that the father whom he had sought so long was
really dead? Had all his search been futile?
But the despair that this thought brought him was quickly swallowed
up by another emotion. Rage, blinding rage, at the man who had
killed his father, at Japazy, the half-breed, the arrogant, heartless
monster who lorded it over this ignorant people.
If this should prove true—that Japazy was really his father’s
murderer—Bomba then and there vowed vengeance. Let Japazy
look to himself! Let him gather all his ghosts and demons to protect
him! They would be of no avail. Bomba’s arrow or Bomba’s knife
would find the black heart of the half-breed! His father’s murder
should be avenged!
Bomba knew nothing of the Christian law of forgiveness. He had
been brought up in the jungle, whose first law was self-preservation,
whose second law was vengeance for evil received. If Japazy had
taken Bartow’s life, Japazy’s life must pay the forfeit.
Oh, if Japazy were only here! Oh, if Bomba could meet him face to
face and wrest the truth from him! The lad paced the room, gnashing
his teeth with impatience.
His restless pacings brought him beneath the lovely pictured face on
the wall. He gazed at it yearningly. If she were his mother, perhaps
she still lived, even if his father was dead.
Then another thought came to him and his rage flamed up anew.
Perhaps she, too, had fallen a victim to Japazy. The hand that slew
the one might also have slain the other. In that case, Bomba would
owe a double debt of vengeance. And he would pay that debt!
Oh, if he only knew!
But there was nothing he could do until Japazy returned.
Suppose, however, that Japazy did not return? What if any one of
the thousand perils of the jungle should cut short his life? Then
perhaps Bomba could never get the knowledge for which his soul
panted. He would be cheated, too, of his vengeance—supposing it
were true that Japazy had indeed slain his father.
Even while immersed in these gloomy reflections, a gleam of hope
came to Bomba.
Abino!
Perhaps Abino knew. He was the chosen counselor of Japazy as far
as that haughty despot permitted any one to advise him. Perhaps he
was also the repository of Japazy’s secrets. Those quick and furtive
glances that Abino had cast at the picture on the wall! What did they
mean? What did Abino know?
Tired out finally by these ponderings and questionings, Bomba at
last threw himself on the floor and slept. And for this he chose a
place directly beneath the picture, where those lovely, tender eyes
could look down upon him.
It was dark when he woke, and the immediate occasion of his
waking was the entrance of Solani, bringing his supper.
The boy lighted a torch and thrust it into a holder against the wall. By
its light, Bomba noted that the boy looked disturbed and frightened.
“Solani is sad to-night,” observed Bomba, as he prepared to eat the
meal that the lad had set on the table. “What is it that makes the
heart of Solani heavy?”
The boy looked about him carefully, and when he answered, it was
almost in a whisper.

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