SIM cards appear destined to grow even smaller (along with our chances of finding them if we lose them). Giesecke & Devrient, the firm that manufactured the first commercial SIM cards, has announced a new nano-SIM card. It measures approximately 12 by 9 millimeters, making it about 30 percent smaller than a micro-SIM card and about 60 percent smaller than a traditional SIM card. It is also thinner than its predecessors.
Via Sizeasy.com
The smaller nano-SIM cards will allow device manufacturers to offer smaller and thinner devices or use the free space for larger batteries or additional components. They will also be backward compatible with older devices with an adapter solution.
Apple was involved in the development of the new standard. Earlier this year it proposed this standard to the European Telecoms Standards Institute (ETSI). Pending ratification, they could start to appear in mobile devices as early as next year.
The new nano-SIM cards will be on display at the CARTES & IDentification 2011 trade show running from November 15 to 17 in Paris.