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Apple to License New Nano SIM Card Patent to Rivals for Nothing

We may only just be seeing the Micro SIM Card standard adopted by more manufacturers, but progress is currently being made to develop a new, even smaller standard of SIM Card.

The Nano SIM is set to be even smaller again, as in the diagram above, and at the moment several mobile phone manufacturers are coming up with designs for the standard, each hoping to secure the exclusive patent. Recently Apple and Nokia have been embroiled in a dispute about the new Nano SIM, with both companies submitting their own designs.

Whichever design gets chosen will warrant its company the patent for the new SIM. This then means that if a rival manufacturer wants to use the Nano SIM technology, it would have to request permission, and possibly even pay royalty fees for the privilege, to the company that holds the patent.

Apple was the first company to implement the Micro SIM Card in its iPhone 4, and naturally is pushing hard to be the first to use the Nano SIM in a future product. Nokia is now using the Micro SIM standard in its Lumia Windows Phones, and hopes to get the edge over Apple.

Apple’s design for the Nano SIM uses the familiar SIM tray that it has used in all iPhone models, whereas Nokia feels that the new type of SIM should simply push and click into a device. Within the past week both Motorola and Research in Motion (BlackBerry) have backed up Nokia’s design.

Despite the backing of two major mobile phone manufacturers, it seems that Apple’s design has been favoured by many European networks, which puts them in a good position when it comes to the final decision, which is to be decided tomorrow (March 27th).

Many manufacturers fear that if Apple holds the patent for the Nano SIM it will become difficult, or expensive, or both, for rivals to use the same technology in their products. However, in uncharacteristic Apple fashion, we’re told that the Cupertino Company will license the Nano SIM patent to other manufacturers royalty-free.

Patent expert Florian Mueller reports that Apple will let the likes of Nokia, RIM and Motorola use its Nano SIM design for nothing, nada, zilch. If true, this is sure to stand Apple in good stead when it comes to making the final decision on which design should be chosen.

Why a new SIM Card format? Put simply, the less space a SIM Card takes up inside of a smartphone, the more room a manufacturer has to fit other components – this could free up vital space for a bigger battery, for instance.

Don’t expect to see the Nano SIM for a while though, as it will take months from here to establish the standard before even manufacturing the cards. If Apple already has plans to use the Nano SIM in its next iPhone, the earliest we could see the new standard is around August/September time, the usual timeframe for a new iPhone launch.

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Via: GSMArena