TIM to launch mobile SIM capable of controlling household appliances

Telecom Italia Mobile (TIM) says it will next year launch a SIM card capable of remotely controlling household appliances. The Z-SIM will be equipped with radio technology capable of communicating with electronic appliances fitted with the same technology, enabling users to switch on their household lights and heating, modify temperatures and even turn on the garden sprinklers with their mobile handset. Additionally, the Z-SIM will allow pay-TV subscribers to buy television programmes without needing to connect their decoders to a fixed line and be compatible with existing mobile payment services. TIM says that, unlike other remote technologies such as Bluetooth, the Z-SIM will feature high levels of security.