SIM Cards
Introduction
Mobile phones are usable worldwide in different cellular networks.
To let the network providers provide their customers access to their networks and assign a phone
number SIM cards are used. Over the years the cards became smaller and
smaller. From Full-size SIM via Mini-SIM, Mico-SIM and Nano-SIM and finally the Embedded SIM (eSIM).
This page shows an overview.
The latest development is the eSIM. It is a chip which is fix installed within the mobile. Thus the user can choos the cellular network and a tariff directly from the mobile. Inserting a physical SIM is no longer needed.
Card Types
| Type | Introduced | Size in mm | First device |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-size SIM | 1992 | 85,60 x 53,98 x 0,76 |  Motorola International 3200 |
| Mini-SIM | 1992 | 25,00 x 15,00 x 0,76 | Nokia 1011 |
| Micro-SIM | 2010 | 15,00 x 12,00 x 0,76 | Apple iPhone 4 & iPad |
| Nano-SIM | 2012 | 12,30 x 8,80 x 0,67 | Apple iPhone 5 |
| Embedded SIM | 2014 | 6,00 x 5,00 x 0,67 | Xiaomi Mi 5 |
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