• SIM cards to be replaced by embedded SIM
    53 replies, posted
Modems already get patched OTA on all the big manufacturers phones and the packages are all digitally signed with the usual encryption. Hacking modem firmware used to be big business but now its not done as it is now prohibitively difficult. There won't be a problem as long as sim updates are done the same way.
Honestly will be a bit annoying - I don't often use my old feature phone, but I do on festivals and the like where battery life and ruggedness (or cheapness) is of the essence. Right now I can just change out the SIM-card (even if my current one was a micro- or mini-SIM, I could still get a "converter"), but this would change that. I suppose we'll have to move on at some point (SIMs still take relatively much space in a mobile phone considering the functionality they provide), but I won't be all that happy.
Not in a million fucking years. This offers me none of the benefits of having a SIM card, and all the disadvantages of not having one.
[QUOTE=butre;48226866]it's shaping up more and more like I'm going to be keeping my GS5 forever[/QUOTE] why is this an issue? please explain
[QUOTE=nikomo;48228300]Not in a million fucking years. This offers me none of the benefits of having a SIM card, and all the disadvantages of not having one.[/QUOTE] I guess one of the benefits you'd say from a SIM card is being able to easily switch it from a phone, which I see as a disadvantage. With this system, if you were to switch carriers by phone/internet, you wouldn't need to wait until the new SIM arrives by mail, which is some time saved.
Every customer I serve at work relies on swapping sims to keep their contacts. People have no idea how sims work, let alone moving contacts via cloud services.
[QUOTE=Coment;48228392]I guess one of the benefits you'd say from a SIM card is being able to easily switch it from a phone, which I see as a disadvantage. With this system, if you were to switch carriers by phone/internet, you wouldn't need to wait until the new SIM arrives by mail, which is some time saved.[/QUOTE] You can pick up a new SIM card at pretty much any street corner nowadays. All this does, is make it easier for people to track you.
[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;48228301]why is this an issue? please explain[/QUOTE] My best guess is that this must be another excuse to not have a removable backplate and battery. I immediately was not interested in the Galaxy S6 when I heard the battery was not removable and had no SD card. Galaxies crashed and messed up so much (usually needing a battery removal) and most of the Galaxies around me had battery failures and issues in the first place. Course there are now many other reasons I don't want a Samsung device anymore, but that is a definite no-sell to me.
So uhh if the SIM is built in, how will you be able to keep your old phone number when upgrading? I'm not on a contract because fuck those,I always just buy a new phone and swap the card
To put a different spin on this: what does this mean for security? Everyone has seen movies where a character takes the sim out of their phone then replaces it with a cheap PAYGO sim so they can't be tracked. I presume that this change will make it easier for the calls to be tracked to a specific phone as I'm sure this new e-sim will take a record of all the identities you use. Surely this might make it easier for hackers to get access and records from your phone - government or otherwise? And it will mean the end of untraceable calls (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). Thoughts?
[QUOTE=Thunderbolt;48228980]So uhh if the SIM is built in, how will you be able to keep your old phone number when upgrading? I'm not on a contract because fuck those,I always just buy a new phone and swap the card[/QUOTE] I've kept my old phone number numerous times and havent required a sim car change on any of them
[QUOTE=Mythman;48229324]To put a different spin on this: what does this mean for security? Everyone has seen movies where a character takes the sim out of their phone then replaces it with a cheap PAYGO sim so they can't be tracked. I presume that this change will make it easier for the calls to be tracked to a specific phone as I'm sure this new e-sim will take a record of all the identities you use. Surely this might make it easier for hackers to get access and records from your phone - government or otherwise? And it will mean the end of untraceable calls (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). Thoughts?[/QUOTE] I suppose you've never heard of IMEI numbers (which, to be fair, can generally be modified) [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mobile_Station_Equipment_Identity[/url] Also one plus of a sim card is that in case your phone gets destroyed somehow or it stops working, you can get your phone number up and running in minutes rather than hours it generally takes for a sim change to take effect.
[QUOTE=rampageturke 2;48229814]I've kept my old phone number numerous times and havent required a sim car change on any of them[/QUOTE] Well yeah that's what I mean, I just take my old card and put it into my new phone, but now I won't be able to do that so how would I be able to keep my number which is tied to the card?
[QUOTE=Thunderbolt;48229836]Well yeah that's what I mean, I just take my old card and put it into my new phone, but now I won't be able to do that so how would I be able to keep my number which is tied to the card?[/QUOTE] you can contact the company and they can transfer numbers, thats what i've done every time
Basically makes it so you have to go through your provider to get a phone upgrade, instead of just buying one elsewhere and popping in your old SIM. No thanks.
[QUOTE=Sableye;48225516]Great another reason why your phones back shouldn't come off even though it makes disassembly so easy[/QUOTE] Yep it is. Good thing the populous doesnt give a fuck about whether their phone has a removable back. Thats becoming such a niche feature for people now days.
But if this happens then I won't be able to put my sim in my old nokia when I inevitably drop and destroy my smartphone
[QUOTE=green bandit;48225576]Sprint already does this to some of their phones[/QUOTE] It isn't the same. Sprint phones are forever locked to their network/towers and forever locked to the phone you get because a sprint-specific SIM is basically embedded in their phones. If you want carrier freedom or if you want to upgrade your phone easily while still staying on your plan you generally avoid Sprint as you are restricted to using only sprint and the sprint phone you get with your plan. In the best case you can use a sprint MNVO like Ting. This is a universal SIM built into the phone that would let you swich carriers easily. Of course the real issue is that carrier specific phones often ship only with radio bands that will work with that carrier's towers. In many AT&T phones, even if you unlock the phone and get a tmobile sim to use with it, that phone will not work with an LTE signal as your AT&T phone doesn't support t-mobile's bands.
[QUOTE=Mythman;48229324]To put a different spin on this: what does this mean for security? Everyone has seen movies where a character takes the sim out of their phone then replaces it with a cheap PAYGO sim so they can't be tracked. I presume that this change will make it easier for the calls to be tracked to a specific phone as I'm sure this new e-sim will take a record of all the identities you use. Surely this might make it easier for hackers to get access and records from your phone - government or otherwise? And it will mean the end of untraceable calls (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). Thoughts?[/QUOTE] Those movies are already idiotic, because phones have multiple identifiers like the IMEI. What you as someone who wants to maintain security has to do is to use burner phones as well. PAYG sims+cheap phone you can get for 30 dollars and you're good to go.
[QUOTE=Ridge;48230103]Basically makes it so you have to go through your provider to get a phone upgrade, instead of just buying one elsewhere and popping in your old SIM. No thanks.[/QUOTE] Haha what, no it doesn't.
whatever i never want to use a cellphone again anyway
Carriers will be against this, they are still using software from 15 years ago to manage their networks
[QUOTE=Mythman;48229324]To put a different spin on this: what does this mean for security? Everyone has seen movies where a character takes the sim out of their phone then replaces it with a cheap PAYGO sim so they can't be tracked. I presume that this change will make it easier for the calls to be tracked to a specific phone as I'm sure this new e-sim will take a record of all the identities you use. Surely this might make it easier for hackers to get access and records from your phone - government or otherwise? And it will mean the end of untraceable calls (not necessarily a bad thing in itself). Thoughts?[/QUOTE] replacing a phones sim doesn't make it untractable, especially smartphones which can connect to WiFi and relay their GPS data [editline]20th July 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=wanksta11;48249949]Carriers will be against this, they are still using software from 15 years ago to manage their networks[/QUOTE] They're paying for it so they can save money on sims which add up in cost and are like the #1 reason people phones need service because they can easily corrupt
[QUOTE=Adlertag1940;48225605]That's CDMA in general.[/QUOTE] Pretty much. Only reason CDMA phones have SIMs are for compatibility with GSM and LTE networks. In pure CDMA the phone simply requests information about the line from the network based on its IMSI. I don't think it works exactly the same on hybrid phones though and is more like GSM in that regard, since you can simply switch SIMs.
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