Qualcomm successfully tested the world’s first iSIM smartphone, integrating the SIM directly into the processor chip

Speaking of modern SIM technology, we will immediately think of eSIM, which is a chip soldered to the board of a smartphone, to replace the physical SIM card. However, SIM technology has just had a new breakthrough, Qualcomm has successfully demonstrated a type of SIM that can change the way a smartphone works in the future.

iSIM or integrated SIM (integrated SIM) is a technology that Qualcomm is pursuing, with the cooperation of Vodafone and Thales, the three together demonstrated the world’s first smartphone with iSIM technology, allowing to bring features SIM functionality directly to the device’s processor.

This breakthrough paves the way for the commercialization of the technology, which, if successful, could not only kill off the physical SIM slot, but also the eSIM.

The new technology integrates the functions provided by the physical SIM card into the main processor, enabling “better system integration, higher performance, and increased memory capacity,” according to Qualcomm. Integrating the SIM with the main processor also frees up valuable space inside the device, it doesn’t even require a separate chip like an eSIM solution.

In the press release, Qualcomm claims that its iSIM technology offers the following benefits:

• Simplify and enhance device design and performance by freeing up previously occupied space.
• Unify SIM functionality into your device’s main chipset along with other key components like GPU, CPU, and modem.
• Enables remote SIM provisioning by carriers leveraging existing eSIM infrastructure
• Open cellular connectivity to a wide range of devices that previously could not have SIM built-in

Qualcomm said it demonstrated the proof-of-concept with the Galaxy Z Flip3 with Snapdragon 888 chip integrated with Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit, running Thales’ iSIM system on Vodafone carrier. The demonstration was held at Samsung’s R&D center in Europe.

Currently, Qualcomm has not shared any information about when to commercialize iSIM.

Reference: XDA Developers