Mondo Knows Facts
The SIM card was invented in 1991 by Giesecke Devrient in Munich
Subscriber Identity Modules securely hold mobile network identity keys on smart card chips
German smart card manufacturer Giesecke & Devrient produced the first commercial Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) cards in 1991 for Finnish network operator Radiolinja. The SIM card stores international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) numbers and cryptographic authentication keys. This allowed subscribers to switch mobile handsets easily while preserving their network identity.
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Tags: sim-card, telecoms, mobile
The SIM card was invented in 1991 by Giesecke Devrient in Munich: the short answers
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- Subscriber Identity Modules securely hold mobile network identity keys on smart card chips. The figure is taken from GSMA Association, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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