Apple's iPhone SIM card plan thwarted

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old3eyes

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#72251 23-Nov-2010 12:57

Looks like carriers were going to give Apple the 1 figured salute if they had gone ahead with it.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/8148898/Apples-iPhone-SIM-card-plan-thwarted.html

It also would have defeated the purpose of GSM/WCDMA and SIM cards..

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oxnsox

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#408134 23-Nov-2010 13:19

Seems all too bizarre really...
Why can't apple simply sell the product SIM free in it's retail (or on-line) stores and let the customer decide who they want to get their service thru....

Oh wait.... they do that already (well at least here in NZ they do).

Soo.... whats their real game then. To offer consumers a better price???
Don't they already control that pretty tightly already??

To better know who there customers are (so they can 'market' to them more effectively)?

Or simply to control the world, and how you interact with it?

graemeh

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#408248 23-Nov-2010 14:36

I don't understand how this was ever going to work.

How can Apple include a SIM in the phone without the carrier provisioning it on their network? This would also stop you taking the phone to another carrier as it would be a major PITA to reprogram and reprovision for the other network.

Is this just something a journalist has got badly wrong, it makes no sense to me.

chiefie

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#408272 23-Nov-2010 14:47

Before anyone getting evil on Apple... perhaps GSMA launched the initiative to support embedded SIM. http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/press-releases/2010/5726.htm

So it's not Apple thinking about it, GSMA is thinking of the future (and if this is adopted, all future GSM devices will have embedded SIM).

It will benefit consumers as we can change and switch much easier.

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old3eyes

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#408546 23-Nov-2010 21:17

chiefie: Before anyone getting evil on Apple... perhaps GSMA launched the initiative to support embedded SIM. http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/press-releases/2010/5726.htm

So it's not Apple thinking about it, GSMA is thinking of the future (and if this is adopted, all future GSM devices will have embedded SIM).

It will benefit consumers as we can change and switch much easier.

And how will an embedded SIM make it easier to switch carriers?? Currently you just take one out and put in another. Easy. Sounds like they want to make the modern cellfone just like the old AMPS and the later CDMA fones. Carrier locked and only they or Apple can unlock them. Want to go overseas and use a local SIM?? Most likely will not be an option. Will have to use roaming instead.

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Old3eyes

nitrotech

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#408590 23-Nov-2010 22:14

old3eyes:
chiefie: Before anyone getting evil on Apple... perhaps GSMA launched the initiative to support embedded SIM. http://www.gsmworld.com/newsroom/press-releases/2010/5726.htm

So it's not Apple thinking about it, GSMA is thinking of the future (and if this is adopted, all future GSM devices will have embedded SIM).

It will benefit consumers as we can change and switch much easier.

And how will an embedded SIM make it easier to switch carriers?? Currently you just take one out and put in another. Easy. Sounds like they want to make the modern cellfone just like the old AMPS and the later CDMA fones. Carrier locked and only they or Apple can unlock them. Want to go overseas and use a local SIM?? Most likely will not be an option. Will have to use roaming instead.

I agree, this is about carriers protecting roaming revenue.

chiefie

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#408640 24-Nov-2010 00:22

Carriers are currently againsting the embedded SIM. As to how much easier it is to switch? The words from GSMA is that each device which already have IMEI, and there will be a portal allowing you to configure your device to be able to configure at anytime to switch "SIM". Each carrier will comply with this as they have always complied to SIM card.

All it is in the end is virtualise the SIM card to an embedded format, so no SIM card is needed to be distributed, it's all soft SIM in the future.

Nothing should stop you from "taking out the SIM card" and "swap SIM". Don't think one dimension, people.

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graemeh

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#408678 24-Nov-2010 07:52

chiefie: Nothing should stop you from "taking out the SIM card" and "swap SIM". Don't think one dimension, people.

Nothing except the time it will take for all network operators to implement the remote provisioning of the embedded SIM.

Still, once it's done it should sort of work as long as they stop operators from disconnecting a "swapped out SIM" to discourage people swapping back and forth.

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chiefie

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#408762 24-Nov-2010 10:01

From what I read, there's greater benefit for GSMA to adopt embedded SIM. Check the fourth paragraph on this: http://gigaom.com/2010/11/18/carrier-organization-changes-rules-to-allow-the-apple-sim/ (especially the last sentence:)

If the IMSI is changeable, it would be possible to switch 100.000 devices from one operator to another in a matter of days instead of years, at a fraction of the cost according to Rudolf van der Berg, a telephony consultant in the Netherlands.

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