SIM card manufacturer Sagem Orga has announced a partnership with Spanish wireless carrier Telefonica that will introduce the first SIM card with a built-in Wi-Fi radio and its own software which Sagem Orgacalls SIMFi.
The software and card are built to act as a Wi-Fi router, slinging data from the host device to other devices with Wi-Fi radios, much like Novatel’s MiFi, without the need for a dedicated device or additional phone programming. The SIMFi will be unveiled during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week.
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Makes one wonder if could be used for uma?
The phone’s firmware would have to be coded to support it. Really, UMA is more of a firmware feature that bridges Wi-Fi and cellular networks. If you have a reliable UMA implementation, it doesn’t really matter if the Wi-Fi card comes in the device, over microSD, or the SIM slot.
That said, it’s up to phone manufacturers to support it… and that’s a giant question mark. Considering most smartphones with Wi-Fi don’t even support UMA… I doubt this would give the platform traction. Keep in mind, the United States has abandoned UMA for femtocells, industry-wide.