Will Apple Go Around Carriers With Their Own SIM? [Unconfirmed]

In step with a report at GigaOM , Apple’s working on creating a SIM card with the intention to be integrated into the iPhone itself. That suggests cutting carriers out of the purchasing process, and giving more power to Apple-and the shopper.

The plans reported by GigaOM involve the eu market only, and would mean that consumers could change carriers with no need to modify SIMs, and complete the complete purchasing process through Apple’s website or retail stores. That will be effective overseas because the iPhone is available by a large number of carriers all operating on networks that use a similar tech. Within the US, the iPhone is an AT&T exclusive and incompatible with CDMA carriers.

But while the domestic implications of a baked-in SIM are few without delay, you possibly can imagine a future where they’re quite powerful. The transition to 4G feels like it’ll be dominated by LTE, at which point one device can be compatible with all carriers. And AT&T’s sweetheart deal looks all but expired . It is able to not be soon, but eventually an iPhone SIM can be just what Apple should circumvent carriers for hardware sales within the US. A bit like they did with app sales. [ GigaOM ]

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This post is tagged: cdma carriers, domestic implications, hardware sales, retail stores, sweetheart deal