[February 02, 2010] Docomo considers selling SIM cards for iPad Tweet TOKYO, Jan 31, 2010 (The Yomiuri Shimbun - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NTT Docomo Inc. is considering selling SIM cards for Apple Inc.'s new iPad tablet computer, sources said Saturday, taking a step toward a Japan in which such cards can be switched freely between different carriers' cell phones. A subscriber identity module card, commonly known as a SIM card, is a small electronic card that records cell phone subscribers' phone numbers and the details of their subscription. A cell phone will not work until a SIM card is inserted, and cell phones in Japan are SIM-locked, which means their SIM cards cannot be used in handsets sold by different carriers. Docomo's SIM card can be used in all of the company's various handsets, for example, but will not function in cell phones sold by SoftBank or KDDI. Apple unveiled its much-anticipated iPad on Wednesday. Users will be able to download electronic books, video games and other digital content via Wi-Fi or the 3G wireless network on cell phones. The iPad model with wireless capability will be introduced in Japan in late March, and the one with 3G capability as early as June. The 3G model will be SIM-lock free, and if Docomo proceeds with its plan to sell SIM cards for the iPad, it would be the first major domestic telecommunications company to sell SIM cards that are not bundled with handsets. Docomo aims to tap into the telecom needs of iPad users, the sources said. Cell phones in other countries are mostly free from SIM-related restrictions. Cell phones that can use SIM cards sold by different carriers are called SIM-lock free or SIM-free. A SIM card for the iPad will be about half the size of a typical SIM card for cell phones used in Japan. They will not be compatible with each other. Meanwhile, Google Inc. plans to introduce the Nexus One cell phone in Japan in the near future. Its users will be able to freely switch carriers by inserting different SIM cards. Therefore, Docomo also is considering selling SIM cards that can be used in different cell phones. If such foreign-made devices become common in this country, Japan may become more SIM-lock free. To see more of The Yomiuri Shimbun, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.yomiuri.co.jp and www.yomiuri.co.jp/index-e.htm Copyright (c) 2010, The Yomiuri Shimbun Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]