SIM & R-UIM

SIM and R-UIM A SIM card is a small removable smart card that allows users to easily switch between handsets while retaining their personal contact information and address books. The SIM card is tied to the carrier’s network and can be moved without intervention from the carrier. Activating a new phone on a GSM network is as easy as putting an activate SIM card into it. GSM phones with a removed SIM card can later be used again as soon as a SIM card is placed into it. CDMA phones are not card-enabled; this means that the cell phone used on the CDMA networks can only be used on those networks. The phone itself is tied to the carrier’s network; you cannot switch to a new CDMA phone without first talking to your carrier and having them deactivate your old phone and then activating your new phone on their network. Once the old phone has been deactivated it then becomes useless. The CDMA equivalent to a SIM card is called an R-UIM card; Removable User Identity Module. The R-UIM card is not yet available in the US market, currently only being available in parts of Europe and Asia.