Vodafone blog

SIM cards have always been a vital part of the phone experience but there is currently a push to make them even smaller.

Currently, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) is weighing up on the configuration of the next SIM card generation.

However, as with anything in the mobile world, its design is being contested by two major parties – Apple and Nokia.. 

Both have each proposed their own version of the next generation or "Nano SIM".  

Apple’s design (Micro-SIM) currently supports a tray as with it’s current products like the iPhone and iPad.

Nokia however, has voiced the opinion that this increases the demands of the Nano SIM and it’s casing requirements. 

Controversy rose of Apple registering each of it’s European subsidiaries as separate entities for the purpose of voting, each of which would be eligible for 45 votes each, well over Nokia’s acknowledged 92.

This has prompted the ETSI to review its voting policies. Nokia has responded by stating it will be unwilling to licence any of SIM patents for the Apple Nano SIM, creating a Mexican standoff for a SIM card currently expected to be smaller than your fingernail. 

Motorola and Blackberry has thrown their support behind Nokia while Apple has already convinced several telecommunication companies that Apple knows best. 

The decision of the ETSI has been delayed and will not come until May 31.

With any luck we’ll be bringing in the winter with a clear vision of what SIMs will look like in the future, assuming it’s big enough for us to see it. 

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Source ZD Net UK

Image source: Detikinet