Nano-SIM design decided on by ETSI, will be 40% smaller than microSIM

The new nano-SIM design has been ratified by the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) and it looks to borrow heavily from an Apple-created design. The 4FF (fourth form factor) will be 40% smaller than the microSIM we are only now getting to know in our devices. The design looks to be fairly similar to the current model, too, though we won’t know exactly what it looks like until ETSI publishes the schematics.

Earlier this year, Nokia and Apple squared off in a rare non handset-related disagreement over the size and shape of the nano-SIM. Apple’s proposal looked, to Nokia, too similar to current microSIMs and could potentially get stuck if inserted into an incompatible phone. Nokia’s design looked nothing like the current design, but with RIM and Motorola’s help re-designed the card to fit Apple’s proposal, but had a small opening where a lock could latch it into place.

Until ETSI actually releases the specs, we won’t know which design (or a combination of both) got chosen. Both measure a tiny 12.3mm wide by 8.8mm high, and 0.67mm thick, so either way the next generation of SIM cards are going to impossibly small, so we can fit more stuff into our smartphones.

Source: ETSI
Via: TheNextWeb