GSMA Announces SIM specifications: the traditional SIM will soon disappear?

It seems a matter of time because the traditional SIM disappears permanently. Last year they wanted to rumors that Apple, Samsung and other companies and the industry were collaborating to create a new standard for the production of SIM integrated in the device. Specifically, programmable SIM with which it would be possible to switch from one carrier to another without the need to replace physical boards inside the device.
The GSMA has announced new specifications for ESim smartwatch, fitness tracker and tablets, with Samsung S2 Gear Classic 3G will be the first device on the market to have the new technology. Notably absent, at least until next June, the category of smartphones, but also on that date the ESim not support multiple carriers on a single device. You can save multiple profiles for different players, but can only be used one.
Embedded SIM she now speaks for several years, but the first concrete measure of technology we had on some newer iPad models. Apple has, however, used a proprietary solution and not a standard like the one announced in the last few hours of the GSMA, which is currently supported by Samsung, LG, Microsoft and Huawei. Among the operators we are instead cited AT & T, Verizon, Vodafone, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica and EE.
Apple names missing in the list and at the moment we can not know if the company wants to focus on its SIM Apple introduced the iPad Air 2, or if you rely on the standard as the main competitors in the market. According items not yet formalized the Cupertino company has actively participated in the development of ESim GSMA, with both sides that showed interested in the past year to reach a formal agreement on the subject.
In addition to the convenience advantages ESim is 90% smaller than a traditional SIM card, and offers a chance to save significant additional space in which additional electronic components can be implemented.
Alex Sinclair, GSMA CTO, commented on the news: "This is the only common specification, interoperable and comprehensive that has received the support of the mobile industry and allows customers subscribing to a mobile plan to connect their devices to a network Mobile. the new specifications give consumers the freedom to connect remotely different devices such as wearable, and continue to evolve the connection process between new and innovative devices. "
Samsung Gear S2 Classic 3G will be available in March, but it is likely that in the coming months many more devices of a different nature will add compatibility with ESim. We expect still awaiting the announcement of specific smartphones that should arrive in the second half of the year.