A refresher: what actually is the SIM card for and WHY is it removable?
I am sure that this topic has been addressed before. However, since I am a bit familiar as to WHY smilar SIM cards are removable and changeable in, say, European phones, I am wondering WHY the iPhone has one, and what purpose does it serve especially since the iPhone is so closely related to its own particular flavor of ATT service..
Thanks!
- Roger T
A SIM card or Subscriber Identity Module is a portable memory chip. The SIM card makes it easy to switch to a new phone by simply sliding the SIM out of the old phone and into the new one. The SIM holds personal identity information, cell phone number, and on some models of phones, teh phone book along with other data. It can be thought of as a mini hard disk that automatically activates the phone into which it is inserted.
A SIM card can come in very handy. For example, let's say your phone runs out of battery power at a friend's house. Assuming you both have SIM-based phones, you can remove the SIM card from your phone and slide it into your friend's phone to make your call. Your carrier processes the call as if it were made from your phone, so it won't count against your friend's minutes.
If you upgrade your phone there's no hassle involved. The SIM card is all you need. Just slide it into the new phone and you're good to go. You can even keep multiple phones for different purposes. An inexpensive phone in the glove compartment, for example, for emergency use, one phone for work and another for home. Just slide your SIM card into whatever phone you wish to use.
High-end cell phones can be very attractive and somewhat pricey. If you invest in an expensive phone you might want to keep it awhile. Using a SIM card, it is even possible to switch carriers and continue to use the same phone. The new carrier will simply issue you their own SIM card. The phone must be unlocked, however, and operate on the new carrier's frequency or band.
A SIM card provides an even bigger advantage for international travelers -- simply take your phone with you and buy a local SIM card with minutes. For example, a traveler from the U.S. staying in the U.K. can purchase a SIM card across the pond. Now the phone can be used to call throughout England without paying international roaming charges from the carrier back home.
SIM cards are used with carriers that operate on the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) network. The competing network is Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a technology created by U.S. company Qualcomm. As of fall 2005, CDMA cell phones and CDMA carriers do not support SIM cards in most parts of the world, though this is changing. A CDMA SIM card called the R-UIM (Re-Useable Identification Module) was made available in China in 2002, and will eventually be available worldwide. Expectations for the future include a cell phone market that supports both SIM (GSM) and R-UIM (CDMA) cards by default.
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What does buying a sim card for iphone do? Price?
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You don't. iPhone stores no data on a sim card.
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Is there an error message appearing when this happens? Are you in the same area or different areas when this happens?
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dear moderator
need to ask about this issue new ?
after downloading and instaling itunes v10.6 and installing ios v5.1 the iphone cant see the sim card saying contact ur carrier , i removed the sim card and put it in another phone it worked
need to ask what are these nos
imei 01 202500 394397 7
iccid 8920 0180 0 111 9466 000
i chcked the itunes on the lap top for updated a message reply came - uptodate this means that the soft ware is right
so why the iphone cant see the sim card and cant recognise the place for apple to recognise the phone
please reply asap
eng jack
[email protected]This is a user to user technical support forums.
The moderators will not respond.
I would strongly suggest that you edit the post to remove your personal information.
Was the device purchased as unlocked or locked to a specific carrier? If locked, is the SIM card from that carrier? -
IPhone no longer recognizes the sim card in it although iTunes recognizes
the iPhone...I used the iPhone yesterday and I have NOT messed with the sim card but when I turned it on tonite, it says in the upper L corner = No Sim Card = it does see the Wireless netwrok
what do I do???If a reset, as suggested, does not work, most of the time you can fix this by removing and reseating the SIM card.
1. Turn the iPhone off (hold down the Sleep/Wake button until the red slider appears, then slide it to turn off the phone.
2. Eject the SIM card tray (insert a small paper clip or safety pin into the tiny hole next to the headphone jack, push down firmly to make the tray pop out, then remove it from the phone).
3. Pop the SIM card out and then reseat it in the tray. Reinstall the tray in the phone.
4. Turn the phone on.
If this does not fix it, you either have a SIM card that went bad or a problem with the SIM reader. The next step would be to go to the AT&T store to get a new SIM card.
If you still have the problem with the new SIM, you need to have the phone serviced by Apple.
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