Global platform for managing subscriber identity modules

A system operative to communicate with a plurality of wireless networks and a plurality of mobile devices, with each of the wireless networks operated by a different carrier, the system comprising:

• a provisioning server;
• a home location register (HLR) to store at least one subscription record of a mobile device of the plurality of mobile devices, the mobile device having a subscriber identity module (SIM) identified by a currently activated first international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI), the currently activated first IMSI belonging to a set of IMSIs allocated to the system, wherein the provisioning server is operative to:
• receive a notification that the mobile devices has moved into a first one of the wireless networks;
• confirm that an allocation rule is satisfied;
• add and activate a second one of the IMSIs in the set of IMSIs to the HLR and remove the currently activated first IMSI from the HLR;
• and
• send the second IMSI to the mobile device to enable the mobile device to communicate wirelessly in the first wireless network as a local device or a roaming subscriber with a new IMSI;
• wherein the HLR is distributed among the plurality of wireless networks as a plurality of HLR segments, at least one of the HLR segments is associated with a carrier of one of the wireless networks, the carrier-associated HLR segment being readable and writable by the provisioning server under an agreement between the carrier and a provider of the system.