Europe’s ICT standards body faces accusations of acquiescing to Apple’s demand to shrink SIM cards, after releasing specifications for a card 40% smaller than current modules.
ETSI’s smart card platform technical committee has agreed to cut SIM sizes to 12.3mm by 8.8mm by 0.67mm to free up space for a growing number of smartphone components. The group, comprising operators, smart card makers and device vendors, claims the smaller SIMs will deliver the same functionality as current models, and be backwards compatible.
While the decision was immediately hailed as a victory for Apple - which has been among the most vocal proponents of the new ‘nano-SIM’ format - CNET points out ETSI didn’t reveal if it has chosen that vendor’s technology for the new cards or a rival from Nokia, RIM and Motorola.