Beginning of the end of the non-embedded SIM?

[Anonymous]

Will there now be a push to stop supplying the physical SIM?

Although supposedly customers can switch at will I can't help thinking it will ultimately work against their interest.

It will also make a SIM swap in case of a technical issue a more involved process.

Thoughts?

[Glory1]

Well @Anonymous every phone I've purchased, including the one I'm using, came with a new sim. I did the sim swap, and my new sim was activated pretty much straight away. The old sim stopped working within 24 hours.

Are you saying the latest tech will mean phones with sim cards already embedded and ready to be activated? Or will the sims be activated before they're delivered to you? And will you have to speak to customer service instead of the easy sim swap you can presently do?

Sounds like several steps back rather than forward to me. But perhaps I'm misunderstanding you?!

[jonsie]

If or more likely when the number is programmed into a phone, in theory it should be relatively easy for the networks to programme the phone with the new number without any break in service. Sounds like the future.

[MI5]

Well, it's how analogue mobiles used to work 30 years ago lol

[Anonymous]

@MI5 

Yep, my folks had an old Ericsson EH238 analogue phone on Cellnet (which was what O2 used to be called for all you kids that don't know) in the mid 90s they used to carry around 'just for emergencies' and I pretty remember it being the case that if the phone was lost or broke it was very difficult to get the number moved.

[MI5]

I don't recall it being possible to move your number at all, but certainly not easily.
Every time I upgraded I had a new number which was a royal PITA !

[Anonymous]

@MI5 

Don't think they ever upgraded and considering they paid £15 a month but it cost 50p a minute to make a call it really was a use as absolute last resort.

Think my Grandparents, my school and a couple of family friends had the number that was it.

GSM was of course around but the salesbod from Dixons told them it was cheapest deal when they got it.

[MI5]

Yep, 50p per min for calls made or received, batteries that lasted 30 mins off charge and no SMS in the early days.......
We've come along way

[pgn]

I have no idea why the SIM is a requirement - is not the IMEI unique?

Map the IMEI to the number, you're done.

Credit and debit card numbers operate similarly, the number identifies bank, type of card and country, and soon that function will be done by smartphone also.

[jonsie]

I worked for O2 when it was BT Cellnet and you could always port numbers. I'm pretty sure you could port numbers too when it was merely Cellnet as I'm 99% certain because my wife worked there at the time when the call centre in Bury first opened. She actually got me a job there. Believe it or not there were only a dozen staff when they opened up!