Qualcomm e Thales Mobile have announced this Tuesday, during MWC 2023, their premiere name marketable in a modified version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The integrated SIM, as the name suggests, allows you to integrate the SIM directly into the processor of a mobile phone, tablet, smartwatch or any other device. Not surprisingly, the chosen SoC was the last one released by Qualcomm. Let's see the details of Qualcomm iSIM.
The SIM integrated in the processor is reality: Qualcomm iSIM aims to revolutionize the world of numbers on smartphones. Here are the details
The technology has received the safety certification from the GSMA, the global body that manages mobile connection technologies, to certify its level of cyber protection equivalent to eSIM modules. Then the companies responsible for the project say that the innovative functionality is ready to reach the market. Qualcomm iSIM will allow users to subscribe remotely to cellular network services from your Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (modified) powered devices, eliminating the need to purchase a physical SIM card from a mobile phone store.
Read also: Google wants to simplify (and a lot) the transfer of eSIM
Of the advantages of the resource, it is possible to highlight the reduced power consumption compared to eSIMas well as being cheaper and more secure than removable physical chips. Qualcomm claims that the iSIM has an area of less than 1 mm², which is 83% smaller than the latest eSIM version and a hundred times smaller than Nano SIM. This will allow manufacturers to design their devices with new features and design improvements without worrying about leaving significant space for the eSIM module.
eSIM is still popular in some countries. Apple, for example, took a bold step by removing support for the physical chip in the international version of the iPhone 14, but keeping the Nano SIM drawer in regions like Brazil. The expectation is that the feature becomes a product mainstream in the next years. Thales' initial projection is of 300 million products sold with iSIM by 2027. For now, there is no expected date for the debut of the technology.
