Micro SIM cannot be cut into nano SIM (nano SIM inventor)

It is slightly more than an hour away before we bring you live news of Apple’s event at the Yerba Buena center in San Francisco, California, which will most probably see the introduction of the iPhone 5; not to mention nano SIM cards that are required to run in this puppy. Of course, some folks do wonder whether it is possible to cut their micro SIM cards to the size of the nano SIM, similar to how one “upgraded” their once standard SIM cards (2FF) to the micro SIM form factor (3FF) using a micro SIM cutter.

Giesecke & Devrient, inventor of SIM as well as the manufacturer of the nano SIM card, did mention that the particular method mentioned earlier is a one trick pony so to speak, as the nano SIM is 15% thinner compared to its previous two generations, so even if it is cut in the same size, the thickness would be different, meaning the cut micro SIM cannot fit into the nano SIM slot.

Word from the horse’s mouth, Giesecke & Devrient, went like this, “As you surely know some people have cut down a “conventional” SIM (2FF) in a MicroSIM (3FF) with a knife or with a pair of scissors. Sometimes it has worked, sometimes not. Reason that this method functioned was that the 2FF and the 3FF SIM card has the same thickness. The thickness of the Nano-SIM is reduced by about 15 percent – so we think that a reducing only in size is not working. Backward compatibility with older device models is ensured by an adapter solution that allows the Nano-SIM to be integrated into all established mobile devices for universal use.”

Edwin Kee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: nano sim