SIM Size Guide

SIM card sizes commonly cause a little confusion. It’s understandable. For many people a phone will typically be supplied with a SIM card, you put it in and there it stays forever. It’s easy to even forget it’s there – let alone consider the size of it. Here is a summary of the three available sizes and some common mobile phones and the SIM sizes that they’re built for.

Your ParentShield SIM

A ParentShield SIM Card will always be a Tri-Cut Universal Type SIM. The plastic surround to the actual SIM chip has been pre-cut to allow it to press out to each of the three sizes. If you can keep hold of the surrounding ‘SIM Rind’, you can even re-assemble the SIM at a future date should your Child switch from, say, a Nano SIM phone to a Micro or Mini SIM phone.

This means you don’t have to worry about SIM Sizes. Just place a SIM-Only order, and when the SIM arrives, it will be OK to use in one of its three configurations.

What is a SIM card?

SIM stands for “Subscriber Identity Module”. It’s a small programmable storage device that can carry all the information you need to identify the phone as belonging to you. Separating this from the phone itself means you can change mobile phone and simply swap the SIM from one handset to another to keep your Number and network details. It contains (among a few other things):

• Your Phone Number – known in Telecom circles as your MSISDN. That’s Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number possibly, but it’s one of those things that nobody is really sure about! If you hear “Mizden” that’s probably it.
• Your SIM unique ID – in Telephone Land referred to as the ICCID. That’s the Integrated Circuit Card IDentifier. This is the unique reference for the SIM card itself and unlike the Phone Number, can never be changed. This is likely to be the long number that’s printed on the back of the SIM Card
• Your IMSI – IMSI is the International mobile subscriber identity. It’s the unique number used by the mobile networks to identify your mobile service. Phone Number alone isn’t usable for this as it’s remotely possible that your number ( less the Country Prefix ) might potentially clash with another number provided by another operator somewhere in the world! The worldwide telecom system needs a standard system to operate as mobile phones can go anywhere.
• Personal information – the SIM can be used to store a limited number of contacts, security PIN information and the like. Modern phones have somewhat replaced the storage facility on a SIM, and the space available is very limited.

The SIM can, to a degree be ‘reprogrammed’ remotely or OTA “Over the Air” by your telecom company so, for instance a Phone Number Change can be carried out without the need to change the SIM card.

SIM Card Sizes

What Size SIM does my phone take?

Just SIM Only

When you place an order for a ParentShield SIM card, we’ll be supplying just the SIM and phone number, and of course all the phone services such as calls, texts and mobile data.