A SIM card, also known as a subscriber identity module, is a smart card
that stores data for GSM
cellular
telephone subscribers. Such data includes user identity, location and phone number, network
authorization data, personal security keys, contact lists and stored text messages. Security
features include authentication
and encryption
to protect data and prevent eavesdropping.
A SIM card and can be switched easily from one phone set to another. The portability of data
offers a number of benefits. For example, a user that buys a new phone can install the current SIM
card to associate the new phone with the same number and user preferences as the old one. In
another common situation, if a phone's battery runs out of power, the user can easily install the
card to another subscriber's phone to borrow it without running up that user's minutes. Some
vendors offer prepaid SIM cards that can provide travelers with local numbers, as long as their
cell phones are not locked to a specific carrier.
A device called a SIM card reader can be used to upload data from a SIM card to a computer or
other device.
This was last updated in November 2006
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