SIM card

Jasmine Alanis

TF256PSIMV9RM

8914800000

2519832023

It acts as a middleman between the phone's baseband chip, and the carrier's cell towers, allowing the two to communicate.

Giesecke+Devrient (G+D)

Gemalto

Germany

Munich

Gemalto Mexico (Iztapalapa Manufacturing Site)
Trigo # 150, Col. Granjas Esmeralda
Del. Iztapalapa México
09810 México, DF
Mexico
(19.3519402 -99.1146769)

In 1989, G+D invented the “SIM plug-in”, which gained acceptance as the global standard for SIM cards.

PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) with embedded contacts and semiconductors.

My research began with a slew of numbers that I hoped would mean something. All together, every number on the SIM card did not lead to much information, but breaking up the numbers by their lines led me to a Verizon Wireless website that explained the numbers 8914800000 meant it was a Verizon Wireless SIM card, specifically made for this company.

“SIM Card Number.” Verizon Wireless USB551L 4G USB Modem, www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-38004/.

Upon researching for manufacturers for SIM cards, I discovered an article titled, “The World's Biggest SIM Manufacturer Denies Major Encryption Key Hack.” This was an important lead for me discovery the manufacturer, because the article specifically named Gemalto as the world’s largest manufacturer of SIM cards, and confirmed that Verizon SIM cards are manufactured by the company as well.

Condliffe, Jamie. “The World's Biggest SIM Manufacturer Denies Major Encryption Key Hack.” Gizmodo, Gizmodo.com, 25 Feb. 2015, gizmodo.com/the-worlds-biggest-sim-manufacturer-denies-nsa-encrypti-1687918057.

After discovering that Gemalto had to be the manufacturer of this SIM card, I looked into the company’s locations. They are spread out all over the world with various offices, but their main manufacturing plant is located in Iztapalapa México.

“Gemalto Mexico.” Gemalto Worldwide Offices, www.gemalto.com/companyinfo/offices-locator?country=Mexico.

Finding the origins of the SIM card was probably was very simple; after a short sort through Wikipedia, it linked me to the company that designed and produced the very first SIM card. This company is Giesecke + Devrient. The history of the company alone puts into perspective how many steps it took for this SIM card to end up in the Samsung phone.

“From Banknote Printers to International Industrial Group.” History | G D, Giesecke Devrient, www.gi-de.com/en/us/g-d-group/about-us/history/.

Finally, my last research question had to do with functionality. After learning where the product came from and its history, I still didn’t know what it did. I came across this article by Daniel Bader that breaks down the what a SIM card does, how it works, its benefits, and what it is made out of.

Bader, Daniel. “What Is a SIM Card and What Does It Do?” IMore, IMore, 3 Dec. 2017, www.imore.com/sim-card.