thelostone
28-10-2010, 11:07 PM
According to a report by GigaOM, sources at various European carriers are indicating that Apple is looking to adopt a big change, putting a reprogrammable SIM card in its phones.
The SIM card is reportedly designed in conjunction with Netherlands SIM-card maker Gemalto. The card has a ROM portion that carries security mechanism and other info that's consistent from carrier to carrier. But it also has a reprogrammable Flash memory region that can switch carrier profiles on the fly.
While this might not be huge news in the U.S. where only one carrier officially carries the iPhone at present, it would be a big deal in Europe, where in some countries multiple carriers support the iPhone.
Under Apple's reported scheme the reprogrammable handsets would be sold at Apple Stores and online at Apple's website. This is significant as it would cut carriers out of the mix. The handsets would likely be more expensive as they wouldn't be subsidized by any specific carrier.
European carriers are reportedly very upset at Apple's impending move. Representatives from various French iPhone carriers have been visiting Cupertino over the last week, reportedly trying to talk Apple out of the scheme.
A handful of handset makers have tried to sell the idea of an "unlocked" smart phone. Among the highest profile unlocked handset attempts was Google's Nexus One (which used hardware from HTC). That handset failed to gain traction and was eventually pulled from the market by Google.
The SIM card is reportedly designed in conjunction with Netherlands SIM-card maker Gemalto. The card has a ROM portion that carries security mechanism and other info that's consistent from carrier to carrier. But it also has a reprogrammable Flash memory region that can switch carrier profiles on the fly.
While this might not be huge news in the U.S. where only one carrier officially carries the iPhone at present, it would be a big deal in Europe, where in some countries multiple carriers support the iPhone.
Under Apple's reported scheme the reprogrammable handsets would be sold at Apple Stores and online at Apple's website. This is significant as it would cut carriers out of the mix. The handsets would likely be more expensive as they wouldn't be subsidized by any specific carrier.
European carriers are reportedly very upset at Apple's impending move. Representatives from various French iPhone carriers have been visiting Cupertino over the last week, reportedly trying to talk Apple out of the scheme.
A handful of handset makers have tried to sell the idea of an "unlocked" smart phone. Among the highest profile unlocked handset attempts was Google's Nexus One (which used hardware from HTC). That handset failed to gain traction and was eventually pulled from the market by Google.