Does the acronym ETSI sound familiar? Probably not, but it stands for the European Telecommunications Standards Instituze, which is in charge of creating global standards for communication. With little fanfare and media attention, the ETSI committee has just recently agreed on a new SIM card standard that will be 40% smaller than the micro-SIM. Dubbed the nano-SIM, the card is so small you'll need to put on your glasses to see it.
In the age of nano technology, even the tiny micro SIM card appears to be taking up too much space. With manufacturers and chip makers striving to pack as many features as possible into slicker and lighter devices, every nanometer counts. After much deliberation between industry leaders such as Motorola, Apple, Nokia and the dying-yet-still-kicking RIM have put their differences aside with the ETSI decision on single design for the thinnest SIM card ever built. The fourth-generation SIM card will be just 12.3mm high, 8.8mm high and 0.67mm thick. Despite its minuscle dimensions, the nano-SIM card will have exactly the same features as its predecessors.
Having been adopted by the ETSI committee (which includes all EU countries as well as the US, China and others as associate members) during their meeting in Osaka, the official design model will be published shortly on the institute's official website. Smaller and thinner phones may be a plus, but one thing remains unclear: how will users be able to switch SIM cards if they can barely see, never mind hold, the darn thing?
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