Apple has submitted plans to the European telecoms standards body (ETSI) for the development of a smaller SIM card that will allow it to produce thinner versions of the iPhone and iPad.
An Orange executive, speaking to Reuters, described the move as representing a new era of cooperation between Apple and the mobile operator community.
An ETSI spokesman confirmed Apple’s move, noting that the standardisation process for the new SIMs “may take some time, up to a year or more, if there is strong disagreement between industry players,” but that it could be achieved in a few months if there was “a broad consensus among the companies participating in the standards committee.”
Orange said it, and other operators, welcomed the move. "It's certainly showing that Apple is willing to work with the standardisation bodies and with the operators, which we welcome," said Anne Bouverot, Orange's head of mobile services. She said the first devices using the new SIMs could launch next year.
Meanwhile, there was further press speculation elsewhere about the new version of the iPhone expected to be unveiled this summer. In line with reports earlier in the week Taiwan’s DigiTimes noted that the new device is unlikely to support LTE as originally planned due to problems concerning the yield rates of LTE chips offered by Qualcomm, Apple’s chipset supplier.
According to industry sources, the LTE iPhone has been delayed until next year as Apple waits for the LTE market to mature. The report added that all three of China’s main mobile operators – China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom – have expressed an interest in carrying this year’s new iPhone, which many expect will now be known as the ‘iPhone 4S’; an incremental upgrade on the current version with a faster processor.
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