Schlumberger Sim card opens up world
Mobile phone users will be able to roam between GSM and TDMA networks using a new Sim card from Schlumberger
The Simera GAIT Sim (subscriber identification module) card will work in both analogue and digital mobile phones.
It will be released initially in the US and will be welcomed by transatlantic users who have had to change phones when travelling to Europe.
The TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) network is the predominant mobile phone network in the Americas, and is also the most widely available service in parts of Asia and Russia, says Schlumberger. It is incompatible with the GSM (global system for mobile communications) network which dominates Europe and the rest of the world, with 55% of the world's subscribers.
Schlumberger is claiming the card will allow network operators to offer value added services to customers.
The Simera GAIT initiative is being backed with a GSM SimToolKit and Java Sims, which allow operators and developers to write services such as info-on-demand and mobile banking.
