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Cut SIM for iPhone 5 and LTE

C

Coleman2010

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Oct 9, 2010
1,944
173
NYC
I have read several threads of people who have cut their older Micro SIM cards to a Nano SIM for the iPhone 5. But no one has posted if they are getting 3G, 4G, or LTE with the cut down SIM card.

Does it require a special SIM card to access LTE? Will my old SIM card from my iPhone 4 cut down to nano size be able to access LTE in an iPhone 5?
 
Applejuiced said:
I dont think its a special sim.
If you cut it and it fits and you have the proper LTE data plan on your account it should get LTE speeds and work fine.
Click to expand...
I have just a regular 3G data plan. Not LTE.

???
 
Last edited:
Whether you get 3G or 4G does not depend on your sim card. You're not going to experience slower speeds with a cut down micro sim than you would with a carrier provided nano sim.

EDIT: Sorry, I'm not sure about this now....
 
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shortcrust said:
Whether you get 3G or 4G does not depend on your sim card. You're not going to experience slower speeds with a cut down micro sim than you would with a carrier provided nano sim.
Click to expand...
Thank you. An AT&T store sales rep told me I would require a new SIM card for a LTE phone to access LTE. He told me a standard 3G SIM card would not work. :mad:
 
shortcrust said:
Whether you get 3G or 4G does not depend on your sim card. You're not going to experience slower speeds with a cut down micro sim than you would with a carrier provided nano sim.
Click to expand...

Coleman2010 said:
Thank you. An AT&T store sales rep told me I would require a new SIM card for a LTE phone to access LTE. He told me a standard 3G SIM card would not work. :mad:
Click to expand...

Actually, I'm just doubting myself!!! I've half remember someone posting somewhere saying that AT&T users do actually need an LTE sim....

Sorry for being confusing! Hopefully someone else can clarify?!
 
Would an AT&T LTE nano SIM works on an UNLOCK Verizon iPhone 5?

I heard reports the trim AT&T micro SIM works on an UNLOCK and not surprisingly it gets 3G or 3.5 G signal only.
 
apierrec said:
Would an AT&T LTE nano SIM works on an UNLOCK Verizon iPhone 5?

I heard reports the trim AT&T micro SIM works on an UNLOCK and not surprisingly it gets 3G or 3.5 G signal only.
Click to expand...

You will need a sim that supports LTE. Also, the account has to be coded correctly to get LTE as well. So as long as you already got an LTE plan and a cut down micro sim should pick up LTE on the iPhone 5.

I know when I switched between the AT&T iPad 2 and new "iPad" switching sims did not give me LTE. I had to activate the sim in the new iPad and data plan was changed to an unlimited 30 day LTE plan.

An AT&T micro / nano sim in VZW iPhone phone won't get LTE since it does not support AT&T's frequency for LTE. You will only get HSDPA +
 
AT&T LTE SIM Card on an UNLOCK Verizon iP5 - Who tried this?

thank you ^*

Oops nevermind, my post below (Though I was starting a new thread)... thank you ^*

Somebody said the trim AT&T micro sim will work but gonna get 3G but and no LTE signal on an UNLOCK Verizon iP5.

How about an AT&T non sim on an UNLOCK Verizon iP5, anybody tried this - same thing/results, no chance of AT&T or any GSM network sim on an UNLOCK Verizon iP5?
 
I need a new sim for my iPhone 5, (used another account to upgrade) Verizon doesn't seem to have any in the stores and apple says I need to go to the carrier fml. I asked about cutting the sim and they said that wouldn't work I would need a 4G sim. The hunt is on for a sim...
 
Micro-sim can be cut?

So from what I have read, I believe a micro-sim can be cut into a nano-sim? I am from India and am thinking of buying the unlocked iPhone 5 from the US. LTE is not my concern and 3G is just fine. So I can cut my micro-sim to fit into the iPhone 5?
 
sohanangal said:
So from what I have read, I believe a micro-sim can be cut into a nano-sim? I am from India and am thinking of buying the unlocked iPhone 5 from the US. LTE is not my concern and 3G is just fine. So I can cut my micro-sim to fit into the iPhone 5?
Click to expand...
iTouch said:
I cut my micro SIM and I'm getting 3.5G or HSPA+.
Click to expand...

Yes you can cut your Micro SIM to Nano size and get 3G in the iPhone 5.
 
I can't yet answer the OP

But maybe I can explain a few things!
The nano SIM for the iPhone 5 is a "4FF" 'SIM' . I have cut-down a spare "2FF" (second form factor) or 'normal SIM' to try it in my iP5 when it arrives. I previously successfully cut-down 4FF to 3FF for the iP4.

"The SIM card" - hardware piece of plastic with 6 or 8 (or more) gold contacts isn't actually the GSM SIM - this hardware plastic piece is now officially known as a UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card))

The actual GSM SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) is now a secure SIM Application which resides in the memory & operating system of the UICC chip, which provides the subscriber identification and secret crypto keys for the 2G/GSM network.

There is usually, if the hardware UICC is new enough, a similar USIM Application (Universal Subscriber Identity Module) which provides the subscriber identification and secret keys for the UMTS/3G network.

For LTE/4G, (I haven't tried this yet as I have no LTE network to play with - we bought a lot of 4G/WiMax!) , anyway for LTE the UICC does not need a sort of LTE USIM application to authenticate to the LTE network. In fact the UICC has recently massively advanced its specification become an Internet Protocol connected processor with its own IP layers and IP stack. Your LTE network authenticates with your UICC processor, remember LTE is nothing more than individual internet protocol data packets being shovelled around. The iPhone5 is just a dumb terminal, the intelligent bits are actually the UICC and the LTE network. The UICC does need some LTE validation credentials - perhaps just the correct Gateways/IP addresses/Masks/Routers/DNS/Roaming-List settings (mobility management parameters)? We should soon work out what these are.

Your network, ATT, Verizon whoever - is therefore just talking to your UICC processor directly via the iPhone 5 as a modem/handset - some UICC's do have individual network pre-loaded personalisation - which may contain the LTE access requirements. Some networks may be able to make an OTA service-SMS download of these credentials to a suitable UICC 'SIM' card. I guess a user-generated LTE network/'SIM" compatibility chart may be helpful!

My actions: I have recently updated/changed and activated all my ancient (= a few years old) UICC cards for the latest "128K" GSM/3G USIM UICCs, in the hope that LTE, when it arrives here, might be able to load the 4G access possibilities to this largest of 2G/3G 'SIM's. As I have no iP5 nor LTE yet this is just theoretical thinking but yes, I do go to ETSI
 
I spent a good deal of time with activations last week. As an FYI, the indicator of if a SIM is LTE compatible (besides saying LTE, lol), is that the 9th and 10th digit of the SIM card number are 25 or higher...

so...


8901 1234 2100 0000 0000 would not be an LTE SIM

8901 1234 2500 0000 0000 would be an LTE SIM

The activation system is setup to auto provision the LTE feature with any sim that's numbered accordingly. And the LTE SOC can't be manually added without a SIM that's in agreement.

:)
 
shenan1982 said:
I spent a good deal of time with activations last week. As an FYI, the indicator of if a SIM is LTE compatible (besides saying LTE, lol), is that the 9th and 10th digit of the SIM card number are 25 or higher...

so...


8901 1234 2100 0000 0000 would not be an LTE SIM

8901 1234 2500 0000 0000 would be an LTE SIM

The activation system is setup to auto provision the LTE feature with any sim that's numbered accordingly. And the LTE SOC can't be manually added without a SIM that's in agreement.

:)
Click to expand...
So could I walk into an AT&T store and say my SIM card stop working and ask them for a new SIM, hoping they put my account on an LTE compatible SIM. Then, cut it down to a Nano SIM and use it in an iPhone 5? Would I get LTE then?
 
Coleman2010 said:
So could I walk into an AT&T store and say my SIM card stop working and ask them for a new SIM, hoping they put my account on an LTE compatible SIM. Then, cut it down to a Nano SIM and use it in an iPhone 5? Would I get LTE then?
Click to expand...

Huh? LTE is a feature. The feature is dependent on the SIM card being a LTE sim. My guess is they could give you a LTE-bearing sim without enabling LTE, I'm not sure what you're asking. If they give you a new sim that has LTE, and you put it in your iPhone 5, would it have LTE? Likely, because they'd probably assume you want it... who would opt out of LTE?!? No logic to that.
 
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