# Apple push for new nano-SIM standard



## editor (Mar 26, 2012)

They're offering it royalty-free, but do we really need yet another SIM standard and one that's even smaller than the existing one?

MicroSD cards are a big enough pain as it is.


> According to a report earlier this month, Apple had prompted outcry amid members of the ETSI over its attempts to push its preferred nano-SIM standard. The card design was described as technically inferior to alternative options, by Nokia among others, though said to have the backing of “most” European carriers.
> 
> Nokia, however, doesn’t agree, arguing that Apple’s design is technically flawed since it can jam in existing microSIM slots and still requires a tray arrangement for loading. That fits in with Apple’s current iPhone and iPad SIM design, but would, Nokia suggests, limit any space saving benefits.
> 
> Another concern was that Apple could, in time, come to hold valuable patent control over the nano-SIM should its design be accepted as the standard. It’s this argument that Apple has seemingly addressed with its letter to the ETSI, committing to allowing use of any patents it holds that are involved with the nano-SIM, on the assumption that any other patent holders agree to the same terms in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.


http://www.slashgear.com/apple-promises-patent-freedom-if-rivals-stomach-its-nano-sim-26219959/


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## Crispy (Mar 26, 2012)

Nokia + Motorola and RIM have a competing standard: http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/22/2893281/nokia-statement-apple-nano-sim-etsi

Ultimately, it's up to ETSI to decide.

The parts for reading current SIM cards take up a fair bit of space, compared to other components. With modern phones being not much more than a screen glued to a battery with the chips wedged into any leftover space, every mm³ counts.


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## elbows (Mar 26, 2012)

I'd rather this than the crap rumour that Apple were looking to do away with SIM cards altogether (which I've always presumed is pretty unlikely).


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## Crispy (Mar 26, 2012)

elbows said:


> I'd rather this than the crap rumour that Apple were looking to do away with SIM cards altogether (which I've always presumed is pretty unlikely).


The old CDMA standard in america had no SIM, so there's already been a SIM-less iphone!


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## mauvais (Mar 26, 2012)

I suppose SIMs are pretty useful for security; i.e. they contain a secret that is physically received from a trusted party. That's a major reason you wouldn't want to manage identity OTA, but why do you need to cart the secret around from then on? You could use something like NFC (a use!) to read the secret once. Maybe I should patent that.


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## editor (Mar 26, 2012)

Crispy said:


> Nokia + Motorola and RIM have a competing standard: http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/22/2893281/nokia-statement-apple-nano-sim-etsi
> 
> Ultimately, it's up to ETSI to decide.
> 
> The parts for reading current SIM cards take up a fair bit of space, compared to other components. With modern phones being not much more than a screen glued to a battery with the chips wedged into any leftover space, every mm³ counts.


Trouble is that Apple's solution appears to still use up a fair bit of space because of its requirement to employ a tray:



			
				Nokia PR said:
			
		

> Apple's proposal does not meet all of the pre-agreed requirements for ETSI's planned 4FF standard (the so-called nano SIM). The proposal from Nokia, RIM and Motorola does.
> 
> Nokia believes that our proposal has features which would make it easier for consumers to insert and remove the SIM without damage. Additionally, our proposed SIM has different dimensions from a micro SIM, one of ETSI's requirements, which would avoid it getting stuck if inserted by mistake into a phone with a micro SIM slot. Apple's proposed card is the same length as the width of current micro SIMs and so would risk jamming, leading to card and product damage.
> 
> We also feel that our proposal allows for more design options for the type of card reader, i.e. how the SIM is inserted into the device, to allow for a wider range of device form factors. Requiring a tray or SIM carrier would reduce design options and increase manufacturing cost, perhaps not significant for high end smartphones but it would be for lower cost devices.


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## Crispy (Mar 26, 2012)

Yep, it looks like the other proposal is technically better. I suspect it will become the standard.


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## 2hats (Mar 26, 2012)

elbows said:


> I'd rather this than the crap rumour that Apple were looking to do away with SIM cards altogether (which I've always presumed is pretty unlikely).


 
Perhaps they are hoping to shrink it in stages to the point where the industry doesn't notice that the SIM has disappeared and Apple have the keys to the kingdom?


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 26, 2012)

I think it's a great move, the smaller the sim the better I say. It means less space being wasted on that crap which means thinner phones or phones with better battery. Surprised Apple are attempting to offer this royalty free, guess they must have some designs in mind that are being held back by the rather shite legacy of the sim card...


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 26, 2012)

I really hope if this comes to pass it will be as simple as buying an adapter like you would for Micro SD to SD so we can keep using out older phones for festies/going into the hills/when you've broken your posh phone.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 26, 2012)

Global Stoner said:


> I really hope if this comes to pass it will be as simple as buying an adapter like you would for Micro SD to SD so we can keep using out older phones for festies/going into the hills/when you've broken your posh phone.


 
Wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.


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## UnderAnOpenSky (Mar 26, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> Wouldn't surprise me if that was the case.


 
It makes so much sense, its the kind of thing I can see Apple not doing.


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## stuff_it (Mar 26, 2012)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I think it's a great move, the smaller the sim the better I say. It means less space being wasted on that crap which means thinner phones or phones with better battery. Surprised Apple are attempting to offer this royalty free, guess they must have some designs in mind that are being held back by the rather shite legacy of the sim card...


Will this mean we'll get cool transparent phones and that soon then? TBF it would be in keeping with Apple's 'let's make both sides out of glass' idea....they could make something even more breakable then and watch the insurance money roll in.


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## editor (Mar 27, 2012)

Apple aren't exactly renown for pushing for cross-phone standards - look at their own microSIM and iPhone proprietary power adapter - and if this thing needs a tray to work then it's hardly going to make the best use of the space, as Nokia have said:


> "Though Apple's proposed card is smaller than current micro SIMs, when combined
> with the associated mechanics needed in the phone, we don't believe it represents
> a significant reduction in size. We believe that in practice it would mean it was just
> different from micro SIM, rather than smaller, which could be a barrier to broad
> adoption as an alternative to micro SIM, potentially leading to fragmentation."


It's not exactly great for consumers either:


> Since consumers already find micro-SIMs rather small, it's not clear why we need a new design, and whether it would actually save much space.
> 
> Today's micro-SIMs can at least be converted to run in most mobile phones by slotting them into a small plastic holder. This gives consumers a wider choice of phones at little or no extra cost. If a new design is introduced, users' options may be reduced for several years, though Giesecke & Devrient noted that "Backward compatibility with older device models is ensured by an adapter solution that allows the nano-SIM to be integrated into all established mobile devices for universal use."


http://www.zdnet.co.uk/blogs/jacks-...a-in-fight-to-set-nano-sim-standard-10025738/


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## Crispy (Mar 27, 2012)

MIcroSIM is an ETSI standard and not exclusive to Apple products. Galaxy tab 10 uses it, for example.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 27, 2012)

Global Stoner said:


> It makes so much sense, its the kind of thing I can see Apple not doing.



Indeed.


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## souljacker (Mar 27, 2012)

Crispy said:


> MIcroSIM is an ETSI standard and not exclusive to Apple products. Galaxy tab 10 uses it, for example.


 
And the Nokia Lumia 800


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## editor (Mar 27, 2012)

Crispy said:


> MIcroSIM is an ETSI standard and not exclusive to Apple products. Galaxy tab 10 uses it, for example.


When it was introduced, the iPhone was the only phone on the planet using them, which was a pain for upgraders,  and forced some users to faff about with scissors and knives. 

Only a few variants of the Galaxy Tab had the MicroSIM, btw.


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## Kid_Eternity (Mar 27, 2012)

souljacker said:


> And the Nokia Lumia 800



Well then that covers the three main players in this market if we're talking future devices...


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## editor (Mar 28, 2012)

It's getting quite interesting:



> The saber-rattling continues today ahead of the ETSI's vote on the future of the nano-SIM standard later this week, a vote that has significantly different proposals from Apple and a consortium of Nokia, Motorola, and RIM in the mix. So far, we've heard that Apple would license patents relevant to its proposal royalty-free — a claim which Nokia swiftly bashed, claiming Apple has no relevant patents to license.






			
				Nokia said:
			
		

> "We are not aware of any Apple Intellectual Property which it considers essential to its nano-SIM proposal. In light of this, Apple's proposal for royalty-free licensing seems no more than an attempt to devalue the intellectual property of others."
> http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/27/2...-property-patent-nano-sim-standard/in/2666951





> Now, Nokia is threatening the ETSI that it will refuse to license patents it holds that it believes to be essential to Apple's proposal should that design be selected over its own, once again saying that the design simply "does not meet ETSI's technical requirements and which would be inferior for consumers and the mobile industry, unnecessarily increasing the cost of mobile devices." We've taken a look at the competing designs, and it does appear that Apple's proposal — essentially a micro-SIM trimmed down to the chip alone — would be trickier to hold into place.
> 
> In practice, if Nokia won't license patents — and they are, in fact, ruled essential to the standard — that means it could be more difficult or impossible for manufacturers to produce and use nano-SIMs within the framework of the law. As for FRAND concerns, Nokia nips that conversation in the bud, saying that this tough new language has "no impact" on the company's existing FRAND commitments for other wireless standards managed through the ETSI.


http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/28/2908116/nokia-license-nano-sim-apple-etsi


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