WO2010032270A1

WO2010032270A1 - Method for changing configuration of a mobile communication device

Info

Publication number: WO2010032270A1
Application number: PCT/IT2008/000599
Authority: WO
Inventors: Davide Pratone; Salvatore Scarpina; Roberto Casellato; Fabio Ricciato; Simonetta Mangiabene
Original assignee: Telecom Italia S.P.A.
Priority date: 2008-09-17
Filing date: 2008-09-17
Publication date: 2010-03-25

Abstract

It is disclosed a method for changing configuration of a mobile device connected to a mobile communication network. The mobile device is suitable for being detachably coupled to a subscriber card. The method comprises, at the subscriber card: retrieving from the mobile device status information indicative of a status of the mobile device; processing the status information for determining whether the status of the mobile device is changed; in the affirmative, instructing the mobile device to forward a notification message to a configuration management server. The method comprises, at the mobile device: forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server; receiving configuration information from the configuration management server; and processing the configuration information for changing the configuration of the mobile device.

Description

METHOD FOR CHANGING CONFIGURATION OF A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of mobile communication services. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and a mobile communication system for changing configuration of a mobile communication device (in particular, but not exclusively, a mobile phone). In addition, the present invention also relates to a subscriber card suitable for being detachably coupled to a mobile communication device.

Background art

As it is known, a mobile communication network provides communication services (calls, conference calls, text message delivery, image delivery, IP data connections, etc.) to users provided with mobile communication devices, such as for instance mobile phones, PDAs, PCs provided with mobile interfaces, and so on. Examples of mobile communication networks are the Global System for Mobile communication (briefly, GSM) and the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (briefly, UMTS).

Typically, a mobile communication device (or briefly "mobile device") is uniquely identified by a mobile identifier. For instance, in case of GSM, the mobile identifier is the International Mobile Equipment Identity (briefly, IMEI). The mobile identifier is typically assigned to the mobile device by the mobile device's manufacturer before commercialising it, and is typically stored in a permanent way in a memory module residing in the mobile device.

In general, each mobile device is configured for housing a subscriber card, which is detachably coupled to the mobile device and which is suitable for executing a subscriber application. For instance, in case of mobile devices of the GSM type, such a subscriber card is termed Subscriber Identity Module (briefly, SIM card). On the other hand, in case of mobile devices of UMTS type, the subscriber card is termed UICC, and the subscriber application is termed Universal Subscriber Identity Module (briefly, USIM). Each subscriber card is typically uniquely identified by a subscriber identifier. For instance, in case of SIM cards, the subscriber identifier may be either the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (briefly, IMSI) or the Mobile Subscriber ISDN Number (briefly, MSISDN). The subscriber identifier is typically stored in a memory of the subscriber card, together with other information concerning the user's profile, such as: a list of communication services subscribed by the user, the secret code to access the network, the type of contract, at least a part of the user's contacts, etc.

In general, the mobile communication network stores the users' subscriber identifiers in suitable subscriber databases. In GSM networks, such subscriber databases are termed Home Location Registers (briefly, HLR) and Visitor Location Registers (briefly, VLR). The above subscriber databases may cooperate with a mobile database, which generally stores the mobile identifiers of mobile devices which are to be banned from the mobile communication network (e.g. stolen mobile devices) or which are to be monitored (e.g. malfunctioning mobile devices). WO 2005/036916 discloses a network with mobile devices supporting registration of mobile devices, detection of changes to MSISDN-to-IMEI mapping information, and appropriate modification of such registrations. In one embodiment, the network maintains mapping between IMEI, MSISDN and profile.

US 2007/0287433 discloses an application in a mobile network, which generates a signature derived from a device identifier (IMEI) and a subscriber identifier (e.g. IMSI). The application checks if the signature exists in a signature store; and if not, determines that the device/subscriber combination has not been detected in the network within a certain preceding time window.

Each mobile device is typically configured for supporting a number of communication services (e.g. voice call, SMS, MMS, GPRS, WAP, Internet connectivity, and so on). Moreover, the mobile device is configured for running suitable software applications (e.g. DRM, Browsing, VoIP Client, and so on). Besides, the mobile device is suitable for storing one or more service parameters relating to some of the above mentioned communication services. For instance, in case of the above mentioned GPRS, the mobile device is suitable for storing an access point name (briefly, the APN); on the other hand, in case of the above mentioned SMS, the mobile device is suitable for storing a SMS Centre number.

At a mobile device, software applications may be added, removed or replaced, and/or service parameters may be set or changed. For instance, a communication service provider may distribute to the mobile devices of its users an updated release of a software application; a user may detect that a software application of his mobile device is corrupted, and therefore the communication service provider provides his mobile device with a new copy of the software application; a user may request activation of a new communication service, and then the communication service provider provides his mobile device with a software application supporting the requested communication service and/or with service parameters relative to such a communication service; and so on.

The above operations may be requested either by the user (see e.g. the above example of requesting activation of a new communication service) or by the network provider (see e.g. the above example of providing an updated release of a given software application).

US 2007/0294385 discloses a method supporting the management of a plurality of electronic devices and processing of update information for updating software and/or firmware in the electronic devices. Prompting of users may be made using a language associated with the electronic device, and authorization to update an electronic device may be secured using a subscriber identity module.

WO 2004/004390 discloses a method for automatic management of terminal- dependent information in a wireless communication system. The method comprises the steps of: detection of a unique identity for the terminal that the subscriber is currently using; adaptation of information for the type of terminal detected; and the presentation of the adapted information on the terminal.

Summary of the invention

In the following description and in the claims, the expression "configuration of a mobile device" will designate at least one of the communication services supported by a mobile device, the software applications that the mobile device may run, and the service parameters stored at the mobile device.

As mentioned above, the configuration of a mobile device may be changed due to various reasons by adding, removing or replacing one or more software applications and/or by setting or changing one or more service parameters. The Applicant has perceived that the above solutions for changing configuration of a mobile device, in some cases, may exhibit some drawbacks.

For instance, when a user replaces his mobile device (e.g. his mobile phone) with a new one, while keeping his subscriber card unchanged, if he wishes to configure his new mobile device similarly to his old one (e.g. by loading, on his new mobile phone, the same service parameters that were stored by his old one and that relate to communication services supported both by his old mobile phone and by his new), he disadvantageously has to manually perform the configuration of the new mobile device.

This procedure is rather inconvenient for the user, since he has to determine the communication services he had activated at his old mobile device and which are supported also by his new one. Then, he has to manually request the relative service parameters to the service provider, or he has to manually set them by retrieving their values from his old mobile device. If the number of communication services is high, this procedure disadvantageously may be rather long and inconvenient. The Applicant has perceived that, in some cases, the change of configuration of the new mobile device may be automatically started by the mobile communication network itself upon detection of an event occurred at the mobile device (for instance, in the above example, upon detection that the mobile identifier associated with the subscriber identifier of the user is changed). However, this would require to provide in the mobile communication network a database storing, for each subscriber identifier, the associated mobile identifier. However, the operations of implementing such database, periodically updating it and periodically looking through it are rather complex and expensive.

Accordingly, the Applicant has tackled the problem of providing a method for changing configuration of a mobile device which overcomes the aforesaid drawbacks.

In particular, the Applicant has tackled the problem of providing a method for changing configuration of a mobile device which reduces the manual intervention required to the user, and which at the same time does not require to implement complex and expensive operations (such as implementing, updating and looking through databases) in the mobile communication network.

According to a first aspect, it is provided a method for changing configuration of a mobile device connected to a mobile communication network, the mobile device being suitable for being detachably coupled to a subscriber card, the method comprising, at the subscriber card: a) retrieving from the mobile device status information indicative of a status of the mobile device; b) processing the status information for determining whether the status of the mobile device is changed; c) in the affirmative, instructing the mobile device to forward a notification message to a configuration management server, and the method comprising, at the mobile device: d) forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server; e) receiving configuration information from the configuration management server; and f) processing the configuration information for changing the configuration of the mobile device.

Preferably, step a) comprises retrieving from the mobile device a mobile identifier of the mobile device. Preferably, step b) comprises comparing the mobile identifier with a number of further mobile identifiers stored at the subscriber card, and determining that the status of the mobile device is changed if no one of the further mobile identifiers is equal to the mobile identifier.

Preferably, the method comprises, if during step b) the subscriber card determines that the status of the mobile device is changed, storing the mobile identifier at the subscriber card.

Profitably, step b) comprises determining that the status of the mobile device is changed if the subscriber card does not store any further mobile identifier .

Preferably, step d) comprises forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server by means of a communication service provided by an application server cooperating with the mobile communication network.

Preferably, steps a), b) and c) are performed by a Java card toolkit applet residing on the subscriber card.

According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a subscriber card suitable for being detachably coupled to a mobile device connectable to a mobile communication network, the subscriber card being suitable for:

- retrieving from the mobile device status information indicative of a status of the mobile device;

- processing the status information for determining whether the status of the mobile device is changed; and

- in the affirmative, instructing the mobile device to forward a notification message to a configuration management server.

Preferably, the subscriber card is further configured for retrieving from the mobile device a mobile identifier of the mobile device. Preferably, the subscriber card is further configured for storing a number of further mobile identifiers , for comparing the mobile identifier with the further mobile identifiers , and for determining that the status of the mobile device is changed if no one of the further mobile identifiers is equal to the mobile identifier .

Preferably, the subscriber card is further configured for storing the mobile identifier at the subscriber card, if it determines that the status of the mobile device is changed.

Preferably, the subscriber card is further configured for determining that the status of the mobile device is changed if the subscriber card does not store any further mobile identifier . Preferably, the subscriber card is suitable for running a Java card toolkit applet configured for interacting with the mobile device.

According to a third aspect, the present invention provides a mobile communication system comprising a mobile communication network, a mobile device connectable to the mobile communication network, a subscriber card suitable for being detachably coupled to the mobile device, and a configuration management server cooperating with the mobile communication network, wherein the subscriber card is as set forth above, and wherein the mobile device is configured for:

- forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server;

- receiving configuration information from the configuration management server; and

- processing the configuration information for changing the configuration of the mobile device.

Preferably, the mobile device is further configured for forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server by means of a communication service provided by an application server cooperating with the mobile communication network.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will become clearer by reading the following detailed description, given by way of example and not of limitation, to be read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Figure 1 schematically shows a mobile communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a flow chart of the operation of the mobile communication system of Figure 1 , according to an embodiment of the present invention; and - Figure 3 is a flow chart of the operation of the mobile communication system of Figure 1 , in an exemplary situation in which a user replaces his mobile device with a new one.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention

Figure 1 schematically shows a mobile communication system MCS according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile communication system MCS preferably comprises a mobile communication network MCN, which may include for instance a GSM network and/or a UMTS network. The mobile communication system MCS preferably comprises an application server AS cooperating with the mobile communication network MCN. Preferably, the application server AS is configured for providing users of the mobile communication network MCN with a communication service allowing data exchange, such as for instance the Short Message Service (briefly, SMS) or the General Packet Radio Service (briefly, GPRS) supported by GSM and UMTS networks.

Preferably, the mobile communication system MCS further comprises a configuration management server CMS suitable for interacting with the application server AS, whose role will be described in detail herein after.

Preferably, the mobile communication system MCS also comprises a mobile device MD and a subscriber card SC detachably coupled thereto. The mobile device MD is configured for connecting to the mobile communication network MCN, thus allowing to access one or more communication services supported by the network MCN. Such one or more communication services preferably include the communication service provided by the application service AS. Preferably, the mobile device MD and the subscriber card SC are configured for interacting with each other. For instance, if the mobile device MD is a GSM mobile phone and the subscriber card SC is a SIM, they may be both configured to support a known SIM Application Toolkit (SAT). On the other hand, if the mobile device MD is a UMTS mobile phone and the subscriber card SC is a UICC with a USIM application, they may be both configured to support a known USIM Application Toolkit (USAT).

Besides, preferably, the subscriber card SC is provided with a configuration managing application CMA, whose role will be disclosed in detail herein after. If the mobile device MD and the subscriber card SC both support the above mentioned SAT or USAT, the configuration managing application CMA may be in the form of a Java Card™ Toolkit applet.

By referring to the flow chart of Figure 2, the operation of the mobile communication system MCS of Figure 1 will be now described in detail. The various steps of the flow chart of Figure 2 are arranged into two groups indicated as "a" and "b". The steps of group "a" are performed by the mobile device MD, and the steps of group "b" are performed by the subscriber card SC.

Preferably, when the mobile device MD is operating with the subscriber card SC detachably coupled thereto, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) retrieves from the mobile device MD status information indicative of the status of the mobile device MD (step 200). An example of such status information will be disclosed in detail herein after by referring to Figure 3.

Then, preferably, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) processes the retrieved status information (step 201) for determining, whether the status of the mobile device MD is changed (step 202). In the negative, the subscriber card SC does not perform any other action. In the affirmative, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) preferably generates a notification message notifying that the status of the mobile device MD is changed, and instructs the mobile device MD to forward such a notification message to the configuration management server CMS (step 203). The notification message may also be in the form of a notification, a command or a signal transmitted from the subscriber card SC to the mobile device MD.

Then, upon reception of the instruction from the subscriber card SC, the mobile device MD preferably forwards the notification message to the configuration management server CMS (step 204). Preferably, the notification message is transmitted from the mobile device MD to the configuration management server CMS through the mobile communication network MCN by means of the communication service provided by the application server AS. Therefore, for instance, if the communication service provided by the application server AS is the above mentioned SMS, the notification message generated by the subscriber card SC is in the form of one or more SMS messages, which are forwarded by the mobile device MD to the configuration management server CMS by means of the SMS service provided by the application server AS. Preferably, the notification message further comprises the mobile identifier of the mobile device MD. This allows the configuration management server CMS to identify the mobile device MD transmitting the notification message.

When the configuration management server CMS receives the notification message from the mobile device MD, it preferably processes it for determining whether configuration information has to be transmitted to the mobile device MD, for changing its configuration. For instance, such configuration information may include a new release of a given software application, or the values of one or more service parameters.

When the mobile device MD receives the configuration information from the configuration management server CMS, it preferably processes it for changing its configuration. Optionally, when the change of configuration is completed, the mobile device MD preferably outputs a notification informing the user about the configuration change completion. Such a notification may be e.g. in the form of a visual message displayed on a display of the mobile device MD. This optional step is not shown in Figure 2.

Therefore, advantageously, according to the above described embodiment of the present invention, the subscriber card SC is capable of retrieving the status information indicative of the status of the mobile device MD and to decide, according to it, whether a change of status of the mobile device MD has occurred. The change of status of the mobile device MD is then notified to the configuration management server CMS, which then decides whether a change of configuration is needed at the mobile device MD as a consequence of the change of status.

Therefore, advantageously, the manual intervention of the user is unnecessary, since the whole procedure is automatically managed by the subscriber card SC. In other words, advantageously, the configuration of the mobile device MD is changed substantially transparently to the user. Moreover, advantageously, the only dedicated apparatus required for implementing the above disclosed procedure is the configuration management server CMS. Such configuration management server CMS merely has to react to the notification message notifying the change of status of the mobile device MD, which is transmitted by the mobile device MD under the control of the subscriber card SC. In other words, the configuration management server CMS only interacts with the mobile communication network MCN for communicating with the mobile device MD by means of the communication service supported by the application server AS.

Therefore, since few interactions with the mobile communication network MCN are required, adding the configuration management server CMS to an already installed mobile communication system is a very simple operation, since only the interactions with the application server AS have to be defined. This is particularly advantageous for mobile virtual communication service providers wishing to distribute their communication services through an already installed mobile communication system.

Besides, advantageously, the above disclosed procedure requires a very reduced amount of information to be transported through the mobile communication network MCN. Indeed, the only information transported through the mobile communication network MCN for implementing the above procedure is the notification message transmitted from the mobile device MD to the configuration management server CMS and, possibly, the configuration information transmitted from the configuration management server CMS to the mobile device MD. The notification message is transmitted only when a change of status has actually occurred at the mobile device MD, while the configuration information is transmitted only when, based on the notification message, the configuration management server determines that a change of configuration is needed at the mobile device MD. Accordingly, no redundant or useless information is exchanged during the above procedure, i.e. the resources of the mobile communication network MCN are advantageously not wasted for transmitting and processing useless information.

Moreover, advantageously, the above procedure may be implemented at any mobile device MD, provided that it is suitable for supporting the above mentioned SAT or USAT and the OMA Device Management (DM) standard. Indeed, advantageously, the mobile device MD only has to provide the subscriber card SC with the requested status information, and to execute the subscriber card's instruction of transmitting the request of receiving configuration information to the configuration management server CMS. These operations however may be implemented by any current mobile device MD provided with OMA DM functionalities, without requiring any dedicated software application.

This advantageously allows the communication service provider to fully manage the distribution of the capability to perform the above disclosed procedure to its users, independently of the mobile device's manufacturers, by simply providing the subscriber cards of its users with the above configuration managing application CMA. Such an operation is advantageously particularly simple when the subscriber card SC is a SIM configured to support the above mentioned SAT, or a USIM configured to support the above mentioned USAT.

The above procedure for changing configuration of the mobile device MD is particularly advantageous in the above mentioned situation in which a user replaces his mobile device (e.g. his mobile phone) with a new one, while keeping his subscriber card unchanged, as it will be described in detail herein after by referring to the flow chart of Figure 3.

As mentioned above, in this situation the user should configure his new mobile phone by loading, on his new mobile phone, the same service parameters that were stored by his old one and that relate to communication services supported both by his old mobile phone and by his new one. For instance, in case of the above mentioned GPRS, the user should load on his new mobile phone the same APN he had stored on his old one. It is assumed that, when a mobile device MD is switched on for the first time, it is already configured for supporting a basic set of communication services including the communication service provided by the service application AS (e.g. SMS).

Similarly to Figure 2, also in Figure 3 the various steps of the flow chart are arranged into two groups indicated as "c" and "d. The steps of group "c" are performed by the new mobile phone MD, and the steps of group "d" are performed by the subscriber card SC.

Preferably, each time the mobile device MD with the subscriber card SC detachably coupled thereto is switched on by the user, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) performs the above described step 200 of retrieving from the mobile device MD status information indicative of the status of the mobile device MD. Preferably, the status information comprises the mobile identifier Ml* of the mobile device MD.

More particularly, step 200 is preferably divided in three sub-steps. During a first sub-step 2001, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) preferably sends to the mobile device MD a request of receiving its mobile identifier Ml* (such as, for instance, its IMEI). Then, during a second sub-step 2002, the mobile device MD, upon reception of the request, retrieves its mobile identifier Ml^* and sends it to the subscriber card SC. Then, during a sub-step 2003, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) receives the mobile identifier Ml* from the mobile device MD.

Then, preferably, as mentioned above, the subscriber card SC (in particular, its configuration managing application CMA) processes the retrieved status information (step 201) for determining whether the status information of the mobile device MD is changed (step 202). In particular, step 201 of processing the retrieved status information preferably comprises a step of comparing the received mobile identifier Ml* with one or more mobile identifiers Ml(s) which are stored at the subscriber card SC, while step 202 of determining whether the status of the mobile device MD is changed comprises a step of determining whether no one of the mobile identifiers Ml(s) stored at the subscriber card SC is equal to the retrieved mobile identifier Ml*. In the affirmative, or if the subscriber card does not store any mobile identifier Ml(s) (since the subscriber card SC is being used for the first time), the subscriber card SC (in particular, the configuration managing application CMA) determines that the mobile device MD is being used for the first time in combination with the subscriber card SC, i.e. the mobile device MD is a new mobile device which is being switched on for the first time in combination with the subscriber card SC. Therefore, preferably, in this case the configuration managing application CMA performs the above described step 203 of generating a notification message for informing the configuration management server CMS that the status of the mobile device MD is changed, and instructing the mobile device MD to forward the notification message to the configuration management server CMS.

Then, the configuration managing application CMA preferably stores the retrieved mobile identifier Ml* at the subscriber card SC (step 205). This allows the configuration managing application CMA to avoid useless repetition of the change of configuration when the mobile device MD will be switched on again.

Upon reception of the instruction from the subscriber card SC, the mobile device MD preferably performs the above described step 204 of forwarding the notification message to the configuration management server CMS. The request preferably comprises the mobile identifier Ml*. When the configuration management server CMS receives the request from the mobile device MD, it preferably retrieves the configuration information needed to change the configuration of the mobile phone MD (i.e. the APN, in this example) and transmits it to the mobile device MD (not shown in Figure 2 and in Figure 3).

When the mobile device MD receives the configuration information from the configuration management server CMS, it preferably processes it for changing its configuration (i.e. it stores the APN received from the configuration management server CMS and uses it for accessing the GPRS service) (not shown in Figure 2 and in Figure 3).

Therefore, upon completion of such processing, the new mobile device MD is advantageously configured as the old one, i.e. it is suitable for providing the GPRS service with the same APN.

If, during step 202, the subscriber card SC (in particular, the configuration managing application CMA) determines that the retrieved mobile identifier Ml* of the mobile device MD is equal to one of the mobile identifiers Ml(s) already stored at the subscriber card SC, it preferably determines that the mobile device MD has already been used in combination with the subscriber card SC. Therefore, the configuration managing application determines that the status of the mobile device MS is not changed, and therefore it does not perform any other action.

Therefore, advantageously, when a user replaces his mobile device (e.g. his mobile phone) with a new one, while keeping his subscriber card unchanged, if he wishes to configure his new mobile device similarly to his old one, he has simply to insert the subscriber card in the new mobile device and switch it on. Upon switching on, the subscriber card (i.e. the configuration managing application CMA) automatically manages the procedure of determining whether the status of the mobile device is changed (i.e. whether his mobile identifier is changed) and of notifying the configuration management server CMS about a possible change of status, without requiring any manual intervention to the user.

Therefore, advantageously, the user does not have to perform any manual operation. The above disclosed application of the method shown in Figure 2 and in Figure 3 to the situation in which a user changes his mobile device with a new one is merely exemplary. Indeed, the above method may be applied to different situations e.g. for automatically changing service parameters relating to a communication service upon detection of a change of status of his mobile device. For instance, when a mobile device MD configured for providing a VoIP communication service changes its environment (e.g it enters in the coverage area of a new WLAN hot spot or in a new UTRAN cell), it should be reconfigured by changing the service parameters relating to the VoIP communication service.

In this case, therefore, the configuration managing application CMA is preferably capable to detect the change of environment, and to instruct the mobile device MD to transmit to the configuration management server CMS a notification message notifying the change of the environment. Upon receipt of the notification message, the configuration management server CMS preferably sends to the mobile device MD new service parameters allowing the mobile device MD to provide the VoIP communication service in the new environment.

Therefore, advantageously, in this situation the mobile device MD is able to continue providing the VoIP communication service, without any manual action by the user.

Claims

CLAIMS A method for changing configuration of a mobile device (MD) connected to a mobile communication network (MCN), said mobile device (MD) being suitable for being detachably coupled to a subscriber card (SC), said method comprising, at said subscriber card (SC): a) retrieving from said mobile device (MD) status information indicative of a status of said mobile device (MD); b) processing said status information for determining whether said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed; c) in the affirmative, instructing said mobile device (MD) to forward a notification message to a configuration management server (CMS), and said method comprising, at said mobile device (MD): d) forwarding said notification message to said configuration management server (CMS); e) receiving configuration information from said configuration management server (CMS); and f) processing said configuration information for changing said configuration of said mobile device (MD). The method according to claim 1 , wherein said step a) comprises retrieving from said mobile device (MD) a mobile identifier of said mobile device (MD). The method according to claim 2, wherein said step b) comprises comparing said mobile identifier with a number of further mobile identifiers stored at said subscriber card (SC), and determining that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed if no one of said further mobile identifiers is equal to said mobile identifier . The method according to claim 3, wherein it further comprises, if during said step b) said subscriber card (SC) determines that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed, storing said mobile identifier at said subscriber card (SC). The method according to claim 2, wherein said step b) comprises determining that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed if said subscriber card

(SC) does not store any further mobile identifier . The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said step d) comprises forwarding said notification message to said configuration management server (CMS) by means of a communication service provided by an application server (AS) cooperating with said mobile communication network (MCN). The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said steps a), b) and c) are performed by a Java card toolkit applet residing on said subscriber card (SC). A subscriber card (SC) suitable for being detachably coupled to a mobile device (MD) connectable to a mobile communication network (MCN), said subscriber card (SC) being suitable for: - retrieving from said mobile device (MD) status information indicative of a status of said mobile device (MD); processing said status information for determining whether said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed; and in the affirmative, instructing said mobile device (MD) to forward a notification message to a configuration management server (CMS). The subscriber card (SC) according to claim 8, wherein it is further configured for retrieving from said mobile device (MD) a mobile identifier of said mobile device (MD). The subscriber card (SC) according to claim 9, wherein it is further configured for storing a number of further mobile I identifiers , for comparing said mobile identifier with said further mobile identifiers , and for determining that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed if no one of said further mobile identifiers is equal to said mobile identifier . The subscriber card (SC) according to claim 10, wherein it is further configured for storing said mobile identifier at said subscriber card (SC), if it determines that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed. The subscriber card (SC) according to claim 9, wherein it is further configured for determining that said status of said mobile device (MD) is changed if said subscriber card (SC) does not store any further mobile identifier . The subscriber card (SC) according to any of claims 8 to 12, wherein said subscriber card is suitable for running a Java card toolkit applet configured for interacting with said mobile device (MD). A mobile communication system (MCS) comprising a mobile communication network (MCN), a mobile device (MD) connectable to said mobile communication network (MCN), a subscriber card (SC) suitable for being detachably coupled to said mobile device (MD), and a configuration management server (CMS) cooperating with said mobile communication network (MCN), wherein said subscriber card (SC) is according to any of claims 8 to 13, and wherein said mobile device (MD) is configured for: forwarding said notification message to said configuration management server (CMS); receiving configuration information from said configuration management server (CMS); and processing said configuration information for changing said configuration of said mobile device (MD). The mobile communication system (MCS) according to claim 14, wherein said mobile device (MD) is further configured for forwarding said notification message to said configuration management server (CMS) by means of a communication service provided by an application server (AS) cooperating with said mobile communication network (MCN).