kids encyclopedia robot

SIM card facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
GSM SIM card evolution
Different sizes of SIM cards. From left to right, they are full-size, mini SIM, micro SIM, and nano SIM.

A SIM card is a smart card that is used in mobile phones, to identify the client. SIM stands for subscriber identity module. A SIM card has a microchip, and its use is protected by a PIN. When the phone is powered on, an international mobile subscriber identity number (IMSI) is broadcast. The microchip is also needed for some encryption and decryption. The SIM card and the device that it is used in (the mobile phone) are often referred to as the Mobile station.

SIM cards come in different sizes. Full-size SIM cards, which are about the same size as a credit card, are not used in phones anymore. Most smartphones use either micro SIM or nano SIM cards, but older ones use mini SIM.

Images for kids

  • SIM-Karte von Telefónica O2 Europe - Standard und Micro

    A typical SIM card (mini-SIM with micro-SIM cutout)

  • Sim card

    A smart card taken from a GSM mobile phone

  • Simkarte NFC SecureElement

    T-Mobile nano-SIM card with NFC capabilities in the SIM tray of an iPhone 6s

  • Tf sim both sides

    A TracFone Wireless SIM card has no distinctive carrier markings and is only marked as a "SIM card"

  • Sim Chip

    4 by 4 millimetres (0.16 in × 0.16 in) silicon chip in a SIM card which has been peeled open. Note the thin gold bonding wires, and the regular, rectangular digital memory areas.

  • Disassembled SIM Card Film

    The memory chip from a micro-SIM card without the plastic backing plate, next to a US dime, which is approx. 18 mm in diameter

  • SIM-Card X-ray contrast

    X-ray image of a mini-SIM, showing the chip and connections

  • Embedded SIM from M2M supplier Eseye with an adapter board for evaluation in a Mini-SIM socket blurred

    Embedded SIM from M2M supplier Eseye with an adapter board for evaluation in a mini-SIM socket

  • SIM Karten (47514651302)

    SIM cards of various German mobile operators

  • Chinese 2G GSM cell phone with Dual-SIM sockets

    Dual SIM slots as shown on a Chinese phone

  • Dual-SIM-eSIM

    A phone with a T-Mobile eSIM and a physical Vodafone SIM card

  • GPP SIM interposer

    A GPP-branded SIM interposer used to circumvent network restrictions on carrier-locked iPhones.

  • Thuraya sim

    SIM card for Thuraya satellite phone

  • Au ic card

    KDDI's au IC-Card

  • NTT DoCoMo FOMA card chip green

    NTT DoCoMo's FOMA card

  • SimcardGSM

    UMTS modem with Beeline's SIM card

  • SIMmobilephone

    SIM card with a mobile phone

  • Three Replacement SIM

    Three UK SIM card with packaging

  • H20-hd-pic14 300x194

    H2O Wireless prepaid SIM card

  • DT Sim Card Mini Micro Nano

    Deutsche Telekom mini-SIM with pre-cut micro- and nano-SIM

  • SIM Card Holder

    A mini-SIM card next to its electrical contacts in a Nokia 6233

  • Nano Sim

    Nano-SIM card

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Tarjeta SIM para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
SIM card Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.