What does nano sim mean? SIM card types: mini, micro, nano. How to cut a SIM card for a nano SIM

By purchasing new smartphone, I was faced with the fact that my micro SIM cards do not fit into the card tray of the new device. Run to the electronics store and pay about 100 UAH for cutting two cards. (about 4 USD) there was no desire, and I wanted to quickly start fully using the new smartphone right now.

I googled and found the exact dimensions. NanoSim cards, after which I found old SIM card, which I don’t mind ruining, so I tried to cut out an example using ordinary scissors and a caliper. It turned out to be not difficult.

As it turned out in practice, such training was even unnecessary and you can easily do it yourself in 5 minutes. Making a map out of a microsim turned out to be no more difficult than trimming your fingernails straight.

What you may need to cut out a SIM card:

ruler or caliper;
regular scissors (manicure scissors will not work);
fine sandpaper or sharpening stone for knives.

Plastic is easy to cut. I would like to advise you to first cut off with a margin of a millimeter or two, and then file each end on sandpaper or a grindstone. So, during sharpening, you can check the card by inserting it into the tray or insertion slot.

In the following description, refer to the picture below:

You can safely cut off the bottom of the card to fit the chip itself.
WITH right side leave a margin of a couple of millimeters “by eye”.
Leave 1.5 millimeters on the left side.
Leave a millimeter at the top.
Cut the oblique corner carefully, without touching the chip itself. You don’t have to worry too much about the degree of angle, the main thing is that it is in the same place as on the micro-SIM or mini-SIM card.

If you have a removable SIM card tray, you can adjust them to fit right size, sharpening with sandpaper. If it is a slot, then the size should correspond to 8.8 x 12.3 mm.

As a result, you should have approximately the following plastic frames around the chip:

left - 1 mm;
right - 1.5 mm;
top - 0.5 mm;
bottom - 0 mm.

All these dimensions are relative, and one fraction of a millimeter will not make a difference. The result should be something like this:

There was a case when the SIM card was cut unsuccessfully and it did not connect to the Internet. There is also old format Micro-SIM, in which the chip is larger than usual (as in the photo below).

This chip can also be cut, but you need to know that if you touch one of the contacts, you will ruin the card and have to go restore it.

There are a total of 6 contacts in a SIM card, but there are also older formats with 8 contacts, where two of them were most often unused and were “ground”. The photo below shows what each of the contacts is responsible for.

I hope my material was useful and you, like me, can easily make a map from a microsim.

SIM card - required attribute any phone. Without it, this device is just a toy. It is the SIM card that is the repository of all the necessary data: the name, phone number of the owner, which allows you to save all the information when changing the phone.

But most importantly, a connection with subscribers is established through it. Myself phone number the owner of the SIM card is not stored, but is assigned via IMSI when registering the SIM card on the network.

Types of SIM cards

The first SIM cards were the size of bank card and were used in the earliest models cell phones. Are now obsolete
The next SIM card model, which is given time used in most devices - mini-SIM. Its dimensions are 5*15*0.76 mm
The micro SIM card appeared relatively recently. Used in phones new series Samsung, in all Nokia Lumia devices and in some Blackbury models. The decision to replace a regular SIM with a micro SIM was made as a result of the development of technologies to reduce the weight and size of the phone, while maintaining all the functionality. Its dimensions are 15*12*0.76 mm
And the last version of the SIM card is the nano SIM card. Its dimensions are 12.3 * 8.8 * 0.67 mm

All SIM cards are issued in the form of cards, the size of a bank card, which can be used in older phones. For use in modern devices, it is provided that the Mini/Micro SIM card can be removed (“break”) from the full-size card once.

When purchasing a long-awaited new product, you don’t want to buy new SIM card and lose all the contacts that have accumulated over the past years. And why? After all, you can make a micro SIM card with your own hands from a regular SIM card.

Micro SIM card from mini card

To do this you need to take old SIM card and, using a ruler, draw a rectangle around the chip with the dimensions of the micro SIM card. 15*12. Then, use scissors or a sharp knife to cut off the excess along the measured lines. All.

There is another way to make a micro SIM card from a regular card:

Before starting work, make a drawing of a micro SIM card in any photo editor. Also, full size image can be downloaded online
Then print it out, carefully cut it out and attach it to a regular SIM card using tape.
Make a drawing on it, tracing the outline of the cut out template, and trim off the excess
In order to do this, it is better not to use nail scissors, as they have curved ends and you won’t get a straight line.
Most best option- this is a knife
It should be noted that the card chip must be inside the template
After cutting, you can file the edges to make them smooth.

Nano SIM card from mini card

But iPhone 5S owners will have to suffer longer. The fact is that these devices provide for the use not even of a micro SIM, but nano sim cards. Essentially, the size of the chip remains the same in all types of cards, only the amount of plastic surrounding it is reduced.

In order to make a nano sim from a regular one, in addition to scissors and a ruler, you will also need sandpaper. The fact is that the thickness of a nano SIM card is less than that of a mini SIM card. Therefore, after trimming the excess plastic edges, you will need to take a sandpaper and erase the excess from the side opposite the chip.

If there is no desire to “reinvent the wheel,” then there are several options for doing this.

Purchase a card of the appropriate size along with your phone. And in order not to transfer contacts, you should use the “contact storage” service, which is provided by any mobile operator, and from the new number make a newsletter using the contact list
Ask sales consultants to make a map reduction on the spot. The cost of this procedure is around 100 rubles
Buy an adapter. The adapter is used using the SD card case method. The card must be placed in the appropriate slot and inserted into the phone

As you can see, there is nothing difficult about changing the map. Precision and care are all that is needed. And, of course, ten minutes of free time. By the way, if after cutting the SIM card the phone does not see the network, wait a while (about a minute). Most likely, during this time, the signal will go through the card and you will be able to use it.

At the end of May, the European Telecommunications Standardization Institute (ETSI) will vote on a new SIM card standard, the so-called nano-SIM, which will be 20-35% smaller than the current micro-SIM used in the iPhone. Nokia Lumia and other devices. To answer the question, why else should they be reduced, let’s go a little deeper into history.

For any device to operate on any provider network, some kind of identifier is required. In the era of origin mobile communications This identifier was a unique number assigned at the manufacturer, the so-called ESN (Electronic Serial Number). Switching from one operator to another was quite difficult, and sometimes even impossible without purchasing a new one telephone set. When purchasing a new device, it was necessary to come with it to the operator’s office to register it. This was extremely inconvenient, especially as the number of subscribers grew. Over time, mobile communications became available to almost everyone, and the number of devices began to grow continuously.

During development GSM standard engineers put the subscriber ID in separate module, which was called SIM (Subscriber Identity Module). Essentially, a SIM card is a microcomputer that verifies the legitimacy of the equipment and registers the terminal on the network.

Let me remind you that on this moment Three types of SIM cards have been standardized

SIM card size credit card(86*54mm). Appeared at the stage of development of GSM mobile communications. Used in the then popular Motorola StarTAC series phones.
Mini-SIM is a classic small SIM card measuring 25*15mm. Ubiquitous in the vast majority of mobile devices.
Micro-SIM - a type of card popularized by Apple (15*12mm)

In the days of bricks, the size of SIM cards was of little importance, because... the equipment itself was quite large. External antennas, large batteries. For example, back in 1992, the first “handheld” GSM phone, Nokia 1011, measured 195 x 60 x 45 mm and weighed 475 g. Times changed, technological evolution moved forward, and the size of phones decreased. There was a need to reduce device components without compromising functionality. That's when it became necessary to reduce the size of SIM cards. All manufacturers began to switch to mini-SIM, the size of which was more than 12 times smaller than a standard SIM card. The emergence of mini-SIM was largely due to the race for phone sizes. Let's remember such phones as Panasonic GD55 or Motorola T191. These phones were so small that even the female half often experienced inconvenience in using them.

Now they are going to reduce the size of SIM cards again. There are four contenders for standardization. These are Nokia, Motorola, RIM ( trademark BlackBerry) and Apple. I'll tell you a little more about the SIM cards themselves.

Apple proposes to standardize a 12*9 mm SIM card, which will be held in devices using a special tray (which is already familiar to users of Apple gadgets), for which the company has received a patent. But Apple promised that if its decision was accepted, the company would license all patents needed for the standard for free.

Strongly against this decision made by the Motorola-Nokia-RIM alliance, which offered their own version of SIM cards, which are something similar to microSD cards and are held in the apparatus in exactly the same way. The sizes of SIM cards offered by companies vary slightly. Nokia offers a SIM card size of 10*8mm, while RIM insists on a size of 11*9mm. The fight for the standard is particularly fierce Nokia company, which said it would not license its patents, which would be necessary if the European Institute chose the solution as a standard Apple.

The selection of the standard will be carried out by voting by ETSI members. At the moment, 759 organizations from 60 European countries are members of the institute. And there is another scandal associated with voting. RIM accused Apple of trying to influence the outcome of the vote by registering its employees as representatives of other companies that are members of ETSI. On top of that, Apple is now registering affiliated companies in European countries that are also members of the institute. Currently there are 6 companies registered in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal and Italy, while Nokia has 2 companies registered, Motorola has 3, and RIM is not represented at all. According to rumors, Apple will also be supported by telecom operators, but this is just a rumor. According to preliminary data, the vote should take place at the end of May, but there is no certainty that it will take place. Most likely, it will be postponed again and give time to the companies to come to an agreement among themselves.

Main question, which may concern us, ordinary consumers - what does changing the size of SIM cards give us? Positive as well as negative sides quite difficult to find. With SIM cards getting smaller, phone sizes are unlikely to become smaller than they are now. Indirectly, this proves that no one except Apple was in a hurry to change mini-SIM cards to micro-SIM, although this standard was adopted long before appearance of Apple as a player in the market mobile phones. And no one will make phones smaller - on the contrary, the trend of increasing screen sizes, as well as phone sizes, cannot be ignored.

Some might say that this will free up space in the devices for other components. But the freed-up volume is so small that it can hardly be used effectively. Also, changing the standard is unlikely to affect the final cost of the device. The only thing that can cause us inconvenience is visiting the operator’s office to replace the SIM card when purchasing a new device, but this is done only once. And you are also unlikely to experience any inconvenience from replacing SIM cards. Remember the last time you changed your SIM card.

Why is Apple trying to change the standard? This is understandable. They've already run it in this technology, only the size of the SIM cards will change. Perhaps in the future they will still license their technology with royalties. And there is no such thing as extra money. Why does the rest of the alliance need this? It seems to me that this is just to protect yourself from a possible monopoly by Apple and, of course, to make yourself known. As you can see, the “apple company” is opposed by players whose market performance has greatly declined over the past last years. Sales volume is steadily decreasing, revenue and profits are falling. My statement indirectly proves the fact that such “giants” as Samsung, HTC and Asus do not speak out on this topic at all.

In conclusion, I want to say that whatever the result of the vote, there will be no shocks in the market, and this will affect you and me to a lesser extent. And even more so, do not forget that in extreme cases, all sorts of adapters will appear, with the help of which you can easily insert SIM cards into one or another device.

How to make a Micro-SIM with your own hands?

Method one: replacing the card with the operator

Today without special problems replacement service available regular SIM card to Micro-SIM at the office of your mobile operator. Sometimes an office employee may suggest additional service in the form of a “SIM-pair” kit, which, in addition to the coveted “micro”, will also include a standard card. It is noteworthy that the second SIM card can also be activated, that is, if necessary, it can be inserted into slightly outdated phone models.

However, there are some obstacles here. The main one is that today not all operators are ready to provide such services. If, say, in the customer service centers of the telecom operator MegaFon, a standard card is replaced with a Micro-SIM absolutely free of charge, then in other offices you can easily encounter a refusal. And, secondly, such a replacement entails certain financial expenses, because sometimes you need to purchase the corresponding phone model with the card.

Method two: cutting a standard card to Micro-SIM format

The whole operation looks quite simple: regular card cut to Micro-SIM sizes. True, for this purpose you should purchase a special tool, the cost of which starts at approximately eight dollars. Outwardly, it resembles an ordinary stapler into which the familiar Mini-SIM is inserted. One click – and the required, strictly consistent format is obtained.

On the other hand, there is practically no point in purchasing a tool that will obviously be used only once. Therefore, many users with such a problem immediately contact service centers. Usually there it is possible not only to perform high-quality pruning, but also to receive an adapter as a kind of bonus, that is, the remainder of old map. It may still come in handy: it’s easy to insert an already manufactured Micro-SIM into it, and, if necessary, use this set in old-style phones. By the way, such adapters service centers They are also sold separately - at a price of approximately 100 rubles per set, which includes two pieces.

It’s possible to cut a standard SIM card yourself, at home. To do this, you need to “arm yourself” with a well-sharpened knife or sharp scissors, a pencil, a ruler and a template in the required format. Dimensions are not difficult to find in computer network(they are also mentioned in this article).

Sim card is an important part in your smartphone responsible for mobile network. Your phone will not be able to work in the network area mobile operator. Representing a small chip surrounded by plastic, it allows you to identify a subscriber in the operator’s network and, in addition, it also stores the user’s telephone numbers.

The SIM card is used by all mobile operators to identify the subscriber. Thanks to this, any user can easily change their mobile devices, leaving old number and services. It is enough just to rearrange the SIM card.

At the moment after Iphone presentations 5 it became known that new iPhone does not accommodate standard micro sim, but uses a smaller version of it, nano-sim. This presentation became a point of popularization new sim cards, and at the moment almost every smartphone uses exactly this format.

Differences

The first and most important difference between nano-sim and micro-sim is the size.

SIM card size:

Micro-sim – 15 x 2.5 and thickness 0.81;
Nano-sim - 12.3 x 8.8 and thickness 0.67.

The difference is insignificant and consists of excess plastic around the chip. Thus, the appearance of nano-sim is a clearly expressed desire of the manufacturer to reduce the weight and size of its smartphone. As you can see, nano sim and micro sim have differences.

Contacting the operator

Replacing a card with an operator is easy and hassle-free, so if you don’t want to risk cutting your card yourself, contact the operator. To do this, you will need, along with your passport and phone, to visit the mobile operator’s communication shop and ask for a replacement of your Sim card. You will receive a new card in the format you need, your phone number, connected services and balance will remain the same.

The operators also made sure that you don’t run to them every time to change the SIM card format and offered multi-profile SIM cards. They can be used in absolutely all phones. Outer shell for them it is a mini-sim, micro and nano-sim can be easily squeezed out of it along the marked dotted line. Without the risk of damage, you can safely use the services of your operator.

Telephone workshop

If you do not have the opportunity to contact your operator or come to a communication shop, any telephone repair shop will help you out. The workshop has special device for sim cards resembling a stapler. Your SIM card is inserted inside this device, and with one click the excess plastic is cut off. The service is inexpensive, and in some workshops it is completely free. This method is the simplest.

Hand cutting

If two previous methods are not available to you, you can cut out the SIM card yourself. To do this, you will need a nano-sim template or drawing showing how much to trim the plastic edges around the chip.

It’s easy to get a new SIM card, all operators have already adapted to providing nano-SIM, and now everyone can get it quickly and for free. This SIM card will help reduce the weight of the smartphone and make it more compact.