ETSI Selects Apple Nano-SIM Card Design As New Standard

The new SIM card format war has finally come to a close, with Apple coming out on top.

Though other contenders included designs from Nokia, Motorola, and RIM, the European Telecommunications Standard Institute chose Apple's nano-SIM design on Friday as the new fourth form factor (4FF) for the SIM card standard. At 12.3 millimeters wide, 8.8 millimeters high, and 0.67 millimeters thick, the 4FF card is 40 percent smaller than the current smallest SIM card design, the micro SIM.

That being said, the ETSI did not specifically name Apple as the backer of the chosen standard; it simply chose the design that had the same dimensions as Apple's design. This is an important distinction to make, as earlier this month, in a form of compromise, RIM and Motorola jointly proposed a design that was of the same dimensions as Apple's nano-SIM card, but with a notch on one edge to ensure the card would stay in place when inserted into a device. So it is currently unknown whether or not the ETSI's choice for the 4FF card includes the notch.

But for those concerned about compatibility issues, fret not: the new nano-SIM cards will be sold with adapters to make them backwards compatible with existing SIM card formats.

Source: Apple Insider