A SlM card or Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module ls a porLable memory chlp used ln some models of cellular

Lelephones 1he SlM card makes lL easy Lo swlLch Lo a new phone by slmply slldlng Lhe SlM ouL of Lhe
old phone and lnLo Lhe new one 1he SlM holds personal ldenLlLy lnformaLlon cell phone number
phone book LexL messages and oLher daLa lL can be LhoughL of as a mlnl hard dlsk LhaL auLomaLlcally
acLlvaLes Lhe phone lnLo whlch lL ls lnserLed

A SlM card can come ln very handy lor example leLs say your phone runs ouL of baLLery power aL a
frlends house Assumlng you boLh have SlMbased phones you can remove Lhe SlM card from your
phone and sllde lL lnLo your frlends phone Lo make your call ?our carrler processes Lhe call as lf lL were
made from your phone so lL wonL counL agalnsL your frlends mlnuLes

lf you upgrade your phone Lheres no hassle lnvolved 1he SlM card ls all you need !usL sllde lL lnLo Lhe
new phone and youre good Lo go ?ou can even keep mulLlple phones for dlfferenL purposes An
lnexpenslve phone ln Lhe glove comparLmenL for example for emergency use one phone for work and
anoLher for home !usL sllde your SlM card lnLo whaLever phone you wlsh Lo use

Plghend cell phones can be very aLLracLlve and somewhaL prlcey lf you lnvesL ln an expenslve phone
you mlghL wanL Lo keep lL awhlle uslng a SlM card lL ls even posslble Lo swlLch carrlers and conLlnue Lo
use Lhe same phone 1he new carrler wlll slmply lssue you Lhelr own SlM card 1he phone musL be
unlocked however and operaLe on Lhe new carrlers frequency or band

A SlM card provldes an even blgger advanLage for lnLernaLlonal Lravelers slmply Lake your phone wlLh
you and buy a local SlM card wlLh mlnuLes lor example a Lraveler from Lhe uS sLaylng ln Lhe uk can
purchase a SlM card across Lhe pond now Lhe phone can be used Lo call LhroughouL Lngland wlLhouL
paylng lnLernaLlonal roamlng charges from Lhe carrler back home

SlM cards are used wlLh carrlers LhaL operaLe on Lhe Clobal SysLem for Moblle CommunlcaLlon (CSM)
neLwork 1he compeLlng neLwork ls Code ulvlslon MulLlple Access (CuMA) a Lechnology creaLed by uS
company Cualcomm As of fall 2003 CuMA cell phones and CuMA carrlers do noL supporL SlM cards ln
mosL parLs of Lhe world Lhough Lhls ls changlng A CuMA SlM card called Lhe 8ulM (8euseable
ldenLlflcaLlon Module) was made avallable ln Chlna ln 2002 and wlll evenLually be avallable worldwlde
LxpecLaLlons for Lhe fuLure lnclude a cell phone markeL LhaL supporLs boLh SlM (CSM) and 8ulM
(CuMA) cards by defaulL
8elaLed vldeos
lrom Wlklpedla Lhe free encyclopedla
(8edlrecLed from Slm card)
Slmcard redlrecLs here lor Lhe brandname medlcaLlon see SlmvasLaLln 1hls arLlcle needs
addlLlonal clLaLlons for verlflcaLlon lease help lmprove Lhls arLlcle by addlng clLaLlons Lo rellable
sources unsourced maLerlal may be challenged and removed (!une 2010)
A Lyplcal SlM Card
A mlnlSlM card nexL Lo lLs elecLrlcal conLacLs ln a nokla 6233

A 1racfone Wlreless SlM Card has no dlsLlncLlve carrler marklngs and ls only marked as a SlM CA8u

A subscrlber ldenLlLy module or subscrlber ldenLlflcaLlon module (SlM) ls an lnLegraLed clrculL LhaL
securely sLores Lhe lnLernaLlonal Moblle Subscrlber ldenLlLy (lMSl) and Lhe relaLed key used Lo ldenLlfy
and auLhenLlcaLe subscrlber on moblle Lelephony devlces (such as moblle phones and compuLers)

A SlM ls held on a removable SlM card whlch can be Lransferred beLween dlfferenL moblle devlces SlM
cards were flrsL made Lhe same slze as a credlL card (8360 mm 3398 mm 076 mm) 1he
developmenL of physlcally smaller moblle devlces prompLed Lhe developmenL of a smaller SlM card Lhe
mlnlSlM card MlnlSlM cards have Lhe same Lhlckness as fullslze cards buL Lhelr lengLh and wldLh are
reduced Lo 23 mm 13 mm

A SlM card conLalns lLs unlque serlal number (lCClu) lnLernaLlonally unlque number of Lhe moblle user
(lMSl) securlLy auLhenLlcaLlon and clpherlng lnformaLlon Lemporary lnformaLlon relaLed Lo Lhe local
neLwork a llsL of Lhe servlces Lhe user has access Lo and Lwo passwords (ln for usual use and uk for
ln unlocklng)ConLenLs hlde
1 PlsLory
2 ueslgn
3 uaLa
31 lCClu
32 lnLernaLlonal moblle subscrlber ldenLlLy (lMSl)
33 AuLhenLlcaLlon key (kl)
34 LocaLlon area ldenLlLy
33 SMS messages and conLacLs
4 lormaLs
3 uevelopmenLs of SlM
6 usage ln moblle phone sLandards
7 SlM and carrlers
8 SlMware
9 See also
10 8eferences
11 LxLernal llnks
PlsLory

1he flrsL SlM card was made ln 1991 by Munlch smarL card maker Clesecke uevrlenL who sold Lhe
flrsL 300 SlM cards Lo llnnlsh wlreless neLwork operaLor 8adlolln[a1

1he speclflcaLlon LhaL sLandardlzed Lhe mlcroSlM form facLor conLlnues Lo evolve Some feaLures
lnLroduced recenLlywhen? lnclude
A mlcroSlM form facLor
Allowance for mulLlple slmulLaneous appllcaLlons accesslng Lhe card Lhrough loglcal channels
MuLual auLhenLlcaLlon as a way Lo ellmlnaLe carrler spooflng by allowlng Lhe SlM card Lo auLhenLlcaLe
Lhe cell Lower Lo whlch lL ls connecLlng
ln proLecLlon wlLh hlerarchlcal ln managemenL wlLh a unlversal ln an appllcaLlon ln and a local ln
Lxpanded phonebook sLorage on Lhe SlM card wlLh enLrles for emall second name and groups2
ueslgn

SlM chlp sLrucLure and packaglng

1here are Lhree operaLlng volLages for SlM cards 3 v 3 v and 18 v (lSC/lLC 78163 classes A 8 and C
respecLlvely) 1he operaLlng volLage of Lhe ma[orlLy of SlM cards launched before 1998 was 3 v SlM
cards produced subsequenLly are compaLlble wlLh 3 v and 3 v or wlLh 18 v and 3 v

uual SlM phones are now made by some moblle phone manufacLurers whlch save Lhe user from
carrylng around a separaLe phone for every number 1here are Lwo Lypes Lhe flrsL allows one Lo swlLch
beLween Lhe SlMs whllsL Lhe second allows boLh SlMs Lo be acLlve slmulLaneously

SlM operaLlng sysLems come ln Lwo maln Lypes naLlve and !ava Card naLlve SlMs are based on
proprleLary vendorspeclflc sofLware whereas Lhe !ava Card SlMs are based on sLandards parLlcularly
!ava Card whlch ls a subseL of Lhe !ava programmlng language speclflcally LargeLed aL embedded
devlces3 !ava Card allows Lhe SlM Lo conLaln programs LhaL are hardware lndependenL and
lnLeroperable
uaLa

SlM cards sLore neLworkspeclflc lnformaLlon used Lo auLhenLlcaLe and ldenLlfy subscrlbers on Lhe
neLwork 1he mosL lmporLanL of Lhese are Lhe lCClu lMSl AuLhenLlcaLlon key (kl) Local Area ldenLlLy
(LAl) and CperaLorSpeclflc Lmergency number 1he SlM also sLores oLher carrlerspeclflc daLa such as
Lhe SMSC (ShorL Message Servlce CenLer) number Servlce rovlder name (Sn) Servlce ulallng
numbers (Sun) AdvlceCfCharge parameLers and value Added Servlce (vAS) appllcaLlons (look Lo CSM
1111)
lCClu

Lach SlM ls lnLernaLlonally ldenLlfled by lLs lnLegraLed clrculL card ldenLlfler (lCClu) lCClus are sLored ln
Lhe SlM cards and are also engraved or prlnLed on Lhe SlM card body durlng a process called
personallzaLlon 1he lCClu ls deflned by Lhe l1u1 recommendaLlon L118 as Lhe rlmary AccounL
number4 lLs layouL ls based on lSC/lLC 7812 Accordlng Lo L118 Lhe number ls up Lo 19 dlglLs long
lncludlng a slngle check dlglL calculaLed uslng Lhe Luhn algorlLhm Powever Lhe CSM hase 13 deflned
Lhe lCClu lengLh as 10 ocLeLs wlLh operaLorspeclflc sLrucLure

1he number ls composed of Lhe followlng subparLs
lssuer ldenLlflcaLlon number (lln)

Maxlmum of seven dlglLs
Ma[or lndusLry ldenLlfler (Mll) 2 flxed dlglLs 89 for LelecommunlcaLlon purposes
CounLry code 13 dlglLs as deflned by l1u1 recommendaLlon L164
lssuer ldenLlfler 14 dlglLs
lndlvldual accounL ldenLlflcaLlon
lndlvldual accounL ldenLlflcaLlon number lLs lengLh ls varlable buL every number under one lln wlll have
Lhe same lengLh
Check dlglL
Slngle dlglL calculaLed from Lhe oLher dlglLs uslng Lhe Luhn algorlLhm

WlLh Lhe CSM hase 1 speclflcaLlon uslng 10 ocLeLs lnLo whlch lCClu ls sLored as packed 8Cu Lhe daLa
fleld has room for 20 dlglLs wlLh hexadeclmal l belng used as flller when necessary

ln pracLlce Lhls means LhaL on CSM SlM cards Lhere are 20dlglL (19+1) and 19dlglL (18+1) lCClus ln use
dependlng upon Lhe lssuer Powever a slngle lssuer always uses Lhe same slze for lLs lCClus

1o confuse maLLers more SlM facLorles seem Lo have varylng ways of dellverlng elecLronlc copy of SlM
personallzaLlon daLaseLs Some daLaseLs are wlLhouL Lhe lCClu checksum dlglL oLhers are wlLh Lhe dlglL

As requlred by L118 1he l1u regularly publlshes an CperaLlonal 8ulleLln no 7376 whlch conLalns a
llsL of all lnLernaLlonally asslgned lln codes
edlL
lnLernaLlonal moblle subscrlber ldenLlLy (lMSl)

SlM cards are ldenLlfled on Lhelr lndlvldual operaLor neLworks by a unlque lMSl Moblle operaLors
connecL moblle phone calls and communlcaLe wlLh Lhelr markeL SlM cards uslng Lhelr lMSls 1he formaL
ls
1he flrsL 3 dlglLs represenL Lhe Moblle CounLry Code (MCC)
1he nexL 2 or 3 dlglLs represenL Lhe Moblle neLwork Code (MnC) 3dlglL MnC codes are allowed by
L212 buL are malnly used ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and Canada
1he nexL dlglLs represenL Lhe moblle sLaLlon ldenLlflcaLlon number normally Lhere wlll be 10 dlglLs buL
would be fewer ln Lhe case of a 3dlglL MnC or lf naLlonal regulaLlons lndlcaLe LhaL Lhe LoLal lengLh of Lhe
lMSl should be less Lhan 13 dlglLs
AuLhenLlcaLlon key (kl)

1he kl ls a 128blL value used ln auLhenLlcaLlng Lhe SlMs on Lhe moblle neLwork Lach SlM holds a unlque
kl asslgned Lo lL by Lhe operaLor durlng Lhe personallzaLlon process 1he kl ls also sLored ln a daLabase
(known as AuLhenLlcaLlon CenLer or AuC) on Lhe carrlers neLwork

1he SlM card ls deslgned noL Lo allow Lhe kl Lo be obLalned uslng Lhe smarLcard lnLerface lnsLead Lhe
SlM card provldes a funcLlon 8un CSM AlgorlLhm LhaL allows Lhe phone Lo pass daLa Lo Lhe SlM card Lo
be slgned wlLh Lhe kl 1hls by deslgn makes usage of Lhe SlM card mandaLory unless Lhe kl can be
exLracLed from Lhe SlM card or Lhe carrler ls wllllng Lo reveal Lhe kl ln pracLlce Lhe CSM crypLographlc
algorlLhm for compuLlng S8LS_2 (see sLep 4 below) from Lhe kl has cerLaln vulnerablllLles 7 LhaL can
allow Lhe exLracLlon of Lhe kl from a SlM card and Lhe maklng of a dupllcaLe SlM card

AuLhenLlcaLlon process
When Lhe Moblle LqulpmenL sLarLs up lL obLalns Lhe lnLernaLlonal Moblle Subscrlber ldenLlLy (lMSl)
from Lhe SlM card and passes Lhls Lo Lhe moblle operaLor requesLlng access and auLhenLlcaLlon 1he
Moblle LqulpmenL may have Lo pass a ln Lo Lhe SlM card before Lhe SlM card wlll reveal Lhls
lnformaLlon
1he operaLor neLwork searches lLs daLabase for Lhe lncomlng lMSl and lLs assoclaLed kl
1he operaLor neLwork Lhen generaLes a 8andom number (8Anu whlch ls a nonce) and slgns lL wlLh Lhe
kl assoclaLed wlLh Lhe lMSl (and sLored on Lhe SlM card) compuLlng anoLher number known as Slgned
8esponse 1 (S8LS_1)
1he operaLor neLwork Lhen sends Lhe 8Anu Lo Lhe Moblle LqulpmenL whlch passes lL Lo Lhe SlM card
1he SlM card slgns lL wlLh lLs kl produclng S8LS_2 whlch lL glves Lo Lhe Moblle LqulpmenL along wlLh
encrypLlon key kc 1he Moblle LqulpmenL passes S8LS_2 on Lo Lhe operaLor neLwork
1he operaLor neLwork Lhen compares lLs compuLed S8LS_1 wlLh Lhe compuLed S8LS_2 LhaL Lhe Moblle
LqulpmenL reLurned lf Lhe Lwo numbers maLch Lhe SlM ls auLhenLlcaLed and Lhe Moblle LqulpmenL ls
granLed access Lo Lhe operaLors neLwork kc ls used Lo encrypL all furLher communlcaLlons beLween Lhe
Moblle LqulpmenL and Lhe neLwork
edlL
LocaLlon area ldenLlLy

1he SlM sLores neLwork sLaLe lnformaLlon whlch ls recelved from Lhe LocaLlon Area ldenLlLy (LAl)
CperaLor neLworks are dlvlded lnLo LocaLlon Areas each havlng a unlque LAl number When Lhe devlce
changes locaLlons lL sLores Lhe new LAl Lo Lhe SlM and sends lL back Lo Lhe operaLor neLwork wlLh lLs
new locaLlon lf Lhe devlce ls power cycled lL wlll Lake daLa off Lhe SlM and search for Lhe prevlous LAl
1hls saves Llme by avoldlng havlng Lo search Lhe whole llsL of frequencles LhaL Lhe Lelephone normally
would
edlL
SMS messages and conLacLs

MosL SlM cards wlll orLhogonally sLore a number of SMS messages and phone book conLacLs 1he
conLacLs are sLored ln slmple name and number palrs enLrles conLalnlng mulLlple phone numbers and
addlLlonal phone numbers wlll usually noL be sLored on Lhe SlM card When a user Lrles Lo copy such
enLrles Lo a SlM Lhe handseLs sofLware wlll break Lhem up lnLo mulLlple enLrles dlscardlng any
lnformaLlon LhaL lsnL a phone number 1he number of conLacLs and messages sLored depends on Lhe
SlM early models would sLore as few as 3 messages and 20 conLacLs whlle modern SlM cards can
usually sLore over 230 conLacLsclLaLlon needed
edlL
lormaLs

MlcroSlM and mlnlSlM as normally supplled ln fullslzed carrler cards

MlcroSlM wlLh mlnlSlM and full SlM brackeLs from 1ella ln Sweden

1he memory fllm from a mlcro SlM card wlLhouL Lhe plasLlc backlng plaLe nexL Lo a uS dlme

SlM cards are avallable ln Lhree sLandard slzes fullslze mlnlSlM and mlcroSlM 1he flrsL Lo appear
was Lhe fullslze and ls Lhe slze of a credlL card (8360 mm 3398 mm 076 mm) A newer more
popular verslon has Lhe same Lhlckness buL has a lengLh of 23 mm and a wldLh of 13 mm and has one
of lLs corners LruncaLed (chamfered) Lo prevenL mlslnserLlon 1he newesL lncarnaLlon known as Lhe
mlcroSlM or 3ll has dlmenslons of 13 mm 12 mm

1he mlnlSlM card has Lhe same conLacL arrangemenL as Lhe fullslze SlM card and ls normally supplled
wlLhln a fullslze card carrler aLLached by a number of llnklng pleces 1hls arrangemenL (deflned ln
lSC/lLC 7810 as lu1/000) allows for such a card Lo be used ln a devlce requlrlng a fullslze card or Lo be
used ln a devlce requlrlng a mlnlSlM card afLer cleanly breaklng Lhe scorlngs manufacLured ln Lhe
ouLllne of a mlnlSlM card

lor use ln even smaller devlces Lhe 3ll card or mlcroSlM cards have Lhe same Lhlckness and conLacL
arrangemenLs buL Lhe lengLh and wldLh are furLher reduced Lo 13 mm 12 mm 1he speclflcaLlons for
Lhe 3ll card or mlcroSlM also lnclude addlLlonal funcLlonallLy beyond changlng Lhe physlcal card slze
SlM card slzesSlM card SLandard reference LengLh (mm) WldLh (mm) 1hlckness (mm)
lullslzelSC/lLC 78102003 lu1 8360 3398 076
MlnlSlM lSC/lLC 78102003 lu000 2300 1300 076
MlcroSlM L1Sl 1S 102 221 v900 MlnlulCC 1300 1200 076


1he mlcroSlM was developed by Lhe Luropean 1elecommunlcaLlons SLandards lnsLlLuLe (L1Sl) along
wlLh SC 3C (u18An/CL8An) 3C2 (CuMA2000) A8l8 CSM AssoclaLlon (CSMA SCaC and CSMnA)
CloballaLform LlberLy Alllance and Lhe Cpen Moblle Alllance (CMA) for Lhe purpose of flLLlng lnLo
devlces oLherwlse Loo small for a mlnlSlM card28

1he form facLor was menLloned ln Lhe uec 1998 3C SMC9 uM1S Worklng arLy whlch ls Lhe
sLandardsseLLlng body for CSM SlM cards9 and Lhe form facLor was agreed upon ln laLe 200310

1he mlcroSlM was creaLed wlLh backwards compaLlblllLy ln mlnd 1he ma[or lssue wlLh backwards
compaLlblllLy was Lhe conLacL area of Lhe chlp 8eLalnlng Lhe same conLacL area allows Lhe mlcroSlM Lo
be compaLlble wlLh Lhe prevlous larger SlM readers Lhrough Lhe use of plasLlc cuLouL surrounds 1he
SlM was also deslgned Lo run aL Lhe same speed (3 MPz) as Lhe prevlous verslon 1he same slze and
poslLlons of plns resulLed ln numerous PowLo LuLorlals and ?ou1ube vldeo wlLh deLalled lnsLrucLlons
how Lo cuL a mlnlSlM card Lo mlcroSlM slze wlLh a sharp knlfe or sclssors 1hese LuLorlals became very
popular among flrsL owners of lad 3C afLer lLs release on Aprll 30 2010 and lhone 4 on !une 24
201011

1he chalrman of L SC ur klaus vedder sald10
WlLh Lhls declslon we can see LhaL L1Sl has responded Lo a markeL need from L1Sl cusLomers buL
addlLlonally Lhere ls a sLrong deslre noL Lo lnvalldaLe overnlghL Lhe exlsLlng lnLerface nor reduce Lhe
performance of Lhe cards L SC expecL Lo flnallse Lhe Lechnlcal reallsaLlon for Lhe Lhlrd form facLor aL
Lhe nexL SC plenary meeLlng scheduled for lebruary 2004
edlL
uevelopmenLs of SlM

A vlrLual SlM ls a moblle phone number provlded by a moblle neLwork operaLor LhaL does noL requlre a
SlM card Lo connecL phone calls Lo a users moblle phone

uSlM (unlversal Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module) ls an appllcaLlon for uM1S moblle Lelephony runnlng on a
ulCC smarL card whlch ls lnserLed ln a 3C moblle phone 1here ls a common mlsconcepLlon Lo call Lhe
ulCC lLself a uSlM buL Lhe uSlM ls merely a loglcal enLlLy on Lhe physlcal card lL sLores user subscrlber
lnformaLlon auLhenLlcaLlon lnformaLlon and provldes sLorage space for LexL messages and phone book
conLacLs 1he phone book on a ulCC has been greaLly enhanced lor auLhenLlcaLlon purposes Lhe uSlM
sLores a longLerm preshared secreL key whlch ls shared wlLh Lhe AuLhenLlcaLlon CenLer (AuC) ln Lhe
neLwork 1he uSlM also verlfles a sequence number LhaL musL be wlLhln a range uslng a wlndow
mechanlsm Lo avold replay aLLacks and ls ln charge of generaLlng Lhe sesslon keys Lo be used ln Lhe
confldenLlallLy and lnLegrlLy algorlLhms of Lhe kASuMl block clpher ln uM1S 1he equlvalenL of uSlM on
CuMA neLworks ls CSlM
edlL
usage ln moblle phone sLandards

SlM card for 1huraya saLelllLe phone

1he use of SlM cards ls mandaLory ln CSM devlces

1he saLelllLe phone neLworks lrldlum 1huraya and lnmarsaLs 8CAn also use SlM cards SomeLlmes
Lhese SlM cards work ln regular CSM phones and also allow CSM cusLomers Lo roam ln saLelllLe
neLworks by uslng Lhelr own SlM card ln a saLelllLe phone

Crameenphones SlM card

kuuls au lCCard

n11 uoCoMos lCMA Card

!apans 2C uC sysLem (whlch wlll be compleLely shuL down by 2012 SofL8ank Moblle has already shuL
down uC from March 31 2010) also speclfles a SlM buL Lhls has never been lmplemenLed
commerclally 1he speclflcaLlon of Lhe lnLerface beLween Lhe Moblle LqulpmenL and Lhe SlM ls glven ln
Lhe 8C8 S1u27 annex 4 1he Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module LxperL Croup was a commlLLee of speclallsLs
assembled by Lhe Luropean 1elecommunlcaLlons SLandards lnsLlLuLe (L1Sl) Lo draw up Lhe speclflcaLlons
(CSM 1111) for lnLerfaclng beLween smarL cards and moblle Lelephones ln 1994 Lhe name SlMLC was
changed Lo SMC9

!apans currenL and nexL generaLlon cellular sysLems are based on WCuMA (uM1S) and CuMA2000 and
all use SlM cards

CuMAbased devlces orlglnally dld noL use a removable card and Lhe servlce for Lhese phones bound Lo
a unlque ldenLlfler conLalned ln Lhe handseL lLself 1hls ls mosL prevalenL ln operaLors ln Lhe Amerlcas
1he flrsL publlcaLlon of Lhe 1lA820 sLandard (also known as 3C2 CS0023) ln 2000 deflned Lhe
8emovable user ldenLlLy Module (8ulM) Cardbased CuMA devlces are mosL prevalenL ln Asla

1he equlvalenL of a SlM ln uM1S ls called Lhe unlversal lnLegraLed ClrculL Card (ulCC) whlch runs a
uSlM appllcaLlon 1he ulCC ls sLlll colloqulally called a SlM cardclLaLlon needed
edlL
SlM and carrlers

1he SlM card lnLroduced a new and slgnlflcanL buslness opporLunlLy of moblle Lelecoms operaLor/carrler
buslness of Lhe moblle vlrLual neLwork operaLor (MvnC) whlch does noL own or operaLe a cellular
Lelecoms neLwork buL whlch leases capaclLy from one of Lhe neLwork operaLors and only provldes a
SlM card Lo lLs cusLomers MvnCs flrsL appeared ln uenmark Pong kong llnland and Lhe uk and Loday
exlsL ln over 30 counLrles lncludlng mosL of Lurope uSA Canada AusLralla and parLs of Asla and
accounL for approxlmaLely 10 of all moblle phone subscrlbers around Lhe world

Cn some neLworks Lhe moblle phone ls locked Lo lLs carrler SlM card meanlng LhaL only Lhe speclflc
carrlers SlM cards wlll work 1hls ls more common ln markeLs where moblle phones are heavlly
subsldlsed by Lhe carrlers and Lhe buslness model depends on Lhe cusLomer sLaylng wlLh Lhe servlce
provlder for a mlnlmum Lerm (Lyplcally 12 or 24 monLhs) Common examples are Lhe CSM neLworks ln
Lhe uSA Canada AusLralla Lhe uk and oland Many buslnesses offer Lhe ablllLy Lo remove Lhe SlM lock
from a phone effecLlvely maklng lL posslble Lo Lhen use Lhe phone on any neLwork by lnserLlng a
dlfferenL SlM card MosLly CSM and 3C moblle handseLs can easlly be unlocked and used on any
sulLable neLwork wlLh any SlM card

ln counLrles where Lhe phones are noL subsldlsed eg lLaly lndla and 8elglum all phones are unlocked
Where Lhe phone ls noL locked Lo lLs SlM card Lhe users can easlly swlLch neLworks by slmply replaclng
Lhe SlM card of one neLwork wlLh LhaL of anoLher whlle uslng only one phone 1hls ls Lyplcal for
example among users who may wanL Lo opLlmlse Lhelr Lelecoms Lrafflc by dlfferenL Larlffs Lo dlfferenL
frlends on dlfferenL neLworks or when Lravellng lnLernaLlonally
ersonal unblocklng code
lrom Wlklpedla Lhe free encyclopedla
(8edlrecLed from uk code) 1hls arLlcle needs addlLlonal clLaLlons for verlflcaLlon lease help
lmprove Lhls arLlcle by addlng clLaLlons Lo rellable sources unsourced maLerlal may be challenged and
removed (!uly 2010)


A ln unlock Code (uC) also known as a ln unlock key (uk) ls used ln CSM moblle phones and
some smarLcards Lo unblock a blocked card

MosL moblle Lelephones offer Lhe feaLure of personal ldenLlflcaLlon number (ln) proLecLlon AfLer
swlLchlng on Lhe phone lf Lhe ln securlLy funcLlon ls acLlve Lhe user ls requesLed Lo enLer a 48 dlglL
ln enabllng Lhe phones nonemergency calllng funcLlons lf Lhe wrong ln ls Lyped ln more Lhan Lhree
Llmes elLher Lhe SlM card Lhe devlce or boLh become locked 1hey can be reverLed Lo Lhelr orlglnal
unlocked sLaLe by enLerlng a uC provlded by Lhe servlce operaLor Lhrough verlflcaLlon lf Lhe wrong
uC ls enLered Len Llmes ln a row Lhe devlce wlll become permanenLly blocked and unrecoverable
requlrlng a new SlM card Cellular phone users are Lherefore advlsed by mosL provlders Lo keep Lhelr
uC wrlLLen down ln a safe place separaLe from Lhe devlce

1he uC (uk) ls a SlMspeclflc code asslgned by Lhe servlce provlder lL ls nearlmposslble Lo guess and
enLer lL Lhus lf a user does noL know hls or her uC and ls prompLed for lL lL should be obLalned from
Lhe servlce provlder

Cnce you enLer Lhe uk code you musL seL a pln 1he uk (ersonal unblocklng key) and uk2 are used
Lo unlock Lhe ln and ln 2 codes respecLlvely lf your SlM card ls blocked1
edlL
8eferences
ArLlcle on uk 8eLrleved 13 SepLember 2011
edlL
LxLernal llnks
Cfflclal 3C L1Sl SpeclflcaLlon of Lhe Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module Moblle LqulpmenL (SlMML)
lnLerface 1hls arLlcle relaLed Lo LelecommunlcaLlons ls a sLub ?ou can help Wlklpedla by
expandlng lL
SlM card 1hls secLlon needs addlLlonal clLaLlons for verlflcaLlon lease help lmprove Lhls arLlcle
by addlng clLaLlons Lo rellable sources unsourced maLerlal may be challenged and removed
(SepLember 2009)

Maln arLlcles Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module and 8emovable user ldenLlLy Module

1yplcal moblle phone SlM card

CSM moblle phones requlre a small mlcrochlp called a Subscrlber ldenLlLy Module or SlM Card Lo
funcLlon 1he SlM card ls approxlmaLely Lhe slze of a small posLage sLamp and ls usually placed
underneaLh Lhe baLLery ln Lhe rear of Lhe unlL 1he SlM securely sLores Lhe servlcesubscrlber key (lMSl)
used Lo ldenLlfy a subscrlber on moblle Lelephony devlces (such as moblle phones and compuLers) 1he
SlM card allows users Lo change phones by slmply removlng Lhe SlM card from one moblle phone and
lnserLlng lL lnLo anoLher moblle phone or broadband Lelephony devlce

A SlM card conLalns lLs unlque serlal number lnLernaLlonally unlque number of Lhe moblle user (lMSl)
securlLy auLhenLlcaLlon and clpherlng lnformaLlon Lemporary lnformaLlon relaLed Lo Lhe local neLwork
a llsL of Lhe servlces Lhe user has access Lo and Lwo passwords (ln for usual use and uk for unlocklng)

SlM cards are avallable ln Lhree sLandard slzes 1he flrsL ls Lhe slze of a credlL card (8360 mm 3398
mm x 076 mm deflned by lSC/lLC 7810 as lu1) 1he newer mosL popular mlnlaLure verslon has Lhe
same Lhlckness buL a lengLh of 23 mm and a wldLh of 13 mm (lSC/lLC 7810 lu000) and has one of lLs
corners LruncaLed (chamfered) Lo prevenL mlslnserLlon 1he newesL lncarnaLlon known as Lhe 3ll or
mlcroSlM has dlmenslons of 13 mm 12 mm MosL cards of Lhe Lwo smaller slzes are supplled as a full
slzed card wlLh Lhe smaller card held ln place by a few plasLlc llnks lL can easlly be broken off Lo be used
ln a devlce LhaL uses Lhe smaller SlM

1he flrsL SlM card was made ln 1991 by Munlch smarL card maker Clesecke uevrlenL for Lhe llnnlsh
wlreless neLwork operaLor 8adlolln[a Clesecke uevrlenL sold Lhe flrsL 300 SlM cards Lo Lllsa (ex
8adlolln[a)

1hose cell phones LhaL do noL use a SlM Card have Lhe daLa programmed ln Lo Lhelr memory 1hls daLa ls
accessed by uslng a speclal dlglL sequence Lo access Lhe nAM as ln name or number programmlng
menu lrom Lhere lnformaLlon can be added lncludlng a new number for Lhe phone new Servlce
rovlder numbers new emergency numbers new AuLhenLlcaLlon key or Akey code and a referred
8oamlng LlsL or 8L Powever Lo prevenL Lhe phone belng accldenLally dlsabled or removed from Lhe
neLwork Lhe Servlce rovlder Lyplcally locks Lhls daLa wlLh a MasLer Subsldlary Lock (MSL) 1he MSL also
locks Lhe devlce Lo a parLlcular carrler when lL ls sold as a loss leader

1he MSL applles only Lo Lhe SlM so once Lhe conLracL has explred Lhe MSL sLlll applles Lo Lhe SlM 1he
phone however ls also lnlLlally locked by Lhe manufacLurer lnLo Lhe Servlce rovlders MSL 1hls lock
may be dlsabled so LhaL Lhe phone can use oLher Servlce rovlders SlM cards MosL phones purchased
ouLslde Lhe uS are unlocked phones because Lhere are numerous Servlce rovlders LhaL are close Lo
one anoLher or have overlapplng coverage 1he cosL Lo unlock a phone varles buL ls usually very cheap
and ls someLlmes provlded by lndependenL phone vendors

A slmllar module called a 8emovable user ldenLlLy Module or 8ulM card ls presenL ln some CuMA
neLworks noLably ln Chlna and lndonesla

MulLlcard hybrld phones

A hybrld moblle phone can Lake more Lhan one SlM card even of dlfferenL Lypes 1he SlM and 8ulM
cards can be mlxed LogeLher and some phones also supporL Lhree or four SlMs2223

lrom 2010 onwards Lhey became popular ln lndla and lndonesla and oLher emerglng markeLs24
aLLrlbuLed Lo Lhe deslre Lo obLaln Lhe lowesL onneL calllng raLe ln C3 2011 nokla shlpped 18 mllllon of
lLs low cosL dual SlM phone range ln an aLLempL Lo make up losL ground ln Lhe hlgher end smarLphone
markeL23 ersonal ldenLlflcaLlon number
lrom Wlklpedla Lhe free encyclopedla
noL Lo be confused wlLh naLlonal ldenLlflcaLlon number

A personal ldenLlflcaLlon number (ln pronounced pln) ls a secreL numerlc password shared beLween
a user and a sysLem LhaL can be used Lo auLhenLlcaLe Lhe user Lo Lhe sysLem 1yplcally Lhe user ls
requlred Lo provlde a nonconfldenLlal user ldenLlfler or Loken (Lhe user lu) and a confldenLlal ln Lo
galn access Lo Lhe sysLem upon recelvlng Lhe user lu and ln Lhe sysLem looks up Lhe ln based upon
Lhe user lu and compares Lhe lookedup ln wlLh Lhe recelved ln 1he user ls granLed access only when
Lhe number enLered maLches wlLh Lhe number sLored ln Lhe sysLem Pence desplLe Lhe name a ln
does noL personally ldenLlfy Lhe user1

lns are mosL ofLen used for auLomaLed Leller machlnes (A1Ms) buL are lncreaslngly used aL Lhe polnL of
sale for deblL cards and credlL cards 1hroughouL Lurope and Canada Lhe LradlLlonal lnsLore credlL card
slgnlng process ls lncreaslngly belng replaced wlLh a sysLem ln whlch Lhe cusLomer ls asked Lo enLer Lhelr
ln lnsLead of slgnlng ln Lhe uk and lreland Lhls goes under Lhe Lerm Chlp and ln slnce lns were
lnLroduced aL Lhe same Llme as LMv chlps on Lhe cards ln oLher parLs of Lhe world lns have been used
before Lhe lnLroducLlon of LMv AparL from flnanclal uses CSM moblle phones usually allow Lhe user Lo
enLer a ln of beLween four and elghL dlglLs 1he ln ls recorded ln Lhe SlM card

ln 2006 !ames Coodfellow Lhe lnvenLor of Lhe personal ldenLlflcaLlon number was awarded an C8L ln
Lhe Cueens 8lrLhday Ponours LlsL2ConLenLs hlde
1 ln lengLh
2 ln valldaLlon
21 l8M 3624
22 l8M 3624 + offseL
23 vlSA meLhod
3 ln securlLy
4 ln number
3 8everse ln hoax
6 8elaLed pages
7 8eferences

edlL
ln lengLh

1he concepL of a ln orlglnaLes wlLh Lhe lnvenLor of Lhe A1M !ohn Shepherd8arron Cne day ln 1967
whlle Lhlnklng abouL more efflclenL ways banks could dlsburse cash Lo Lhelr cusLomers lL occurred Lo
hlm LhaL Lhe vendlng machlne model was a proven flL lor auLhenLlcaLlon Shepherd8arron aL flrsL
envlsloned a slxdlglL numerlc code glven whaL he could rellably remember Pls wlfe however preferred
four dlglLs whlch became Lhe mosL commonly used lengLh3 lSC 93641 Lhe lnLernaLlonal sLandard for
ln managemenL and securlLy allows for lns from four up Lo Lwelve dlglLs buL also noLes LhaL lor
usablllLy reasons an asslgned numerlc ln should noL exceed slx dlglLs ln lengLh4
edlL
ln valldaLlon

1here are several maln meLhods of valldaLlng lns 1he operaLlons dlscussed below are usually
performed wlLhln a hardware securlLy module (PSM)
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l8M 3624

1he l8M meLhod ls used Lo generaLe whaL ls Lermed a naLural ln 1he naLural ln ls generaLed by
encrypLlng Lhe prlmary accounL number (An) uslng an encrypLlon key generaLed speclflcally for Lhe
purpose3 1hls key ls someLlmes referred Lo as Lhe ln generaLlon key (Ck) 1hls ln ls dlrecLly relaLed
Lo Lhe prlmary accounL number 1o valldaLe Lhe ln Lhe lssulng bank regeneraLes Lhe ln uslng Lhe
above meLhod and compares Lhls wlLh Lhe enLered ln

naLural lns can noL be user selecLable because Lhey are derlved from Lhe An lf Lhe card ls relssued
wlLh a new An a new ln musL be generaLed

naLural lns allow banks Lo lssue ln remlnder leLLers as Lhe ln can be generaLed
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l8M 3624 + offseL

1o allow user selecLable lns lL ls posslble Lo sLore a ln offseL value 1he CffseL ls found by subLracLlng
naLural ln from Lhe cusLomer selecLed ln uslng modulo 106 lor example lf Lhe naLural ln ls 1234
and Lhe user wlshes Lo have a ln of 2343 Lhe offseL ls 1111

1he offseL can be sLored elLher on Lhe card Lrack daLa7 or ln a daLabase aL Lhe card lssuer

1o valldaLe Lhe ln Lhe lssulng bank calculaLes Lhe naLural ln as ln Lhe above meLhod Lhen adds Lhe
offseL and compares Lhls value Lo Lhe enLered ln
edlL
vlSA meLhod

1he vlSA meLhod ls used by many card schemes and ls noL vlSAspeclflc 1he vlSA meLhod generaLes a
ln verlflcaLlon value (vv) Slmllar Lo Lhe offseL value lL can be sLored on Lhe cards Lrack daLa or ln a
daLabase aL Lhe card lssuer 1hls ls called Lhe reference vv

1he vlSA meLhod Lakes Lhe rlghLmosL eleven dlglLs of Lhe An excludlng Lhe checksum value a ln
valldaLlon key lndex (vkl chosen from one Lo slx) and Lhe requlred ln value Lo make a 64 blL number
Lhe vkl selecLs a valldaLlon key (vk of 128 blLs) Lo encrypL Lhls number lrom Lhls encrypLed value
Lhe vv ls found8

1o valldaLe Lhe ln Lhe lssulng bank calculaLes a vv value from Lhe enLered ln and An and compares
Lhls value Lo Lhe reference vv lf Lhe reference vv and Lhe calculaLed vv maLch Lhe correcL ln was
enLered

unllke Lhe l8M meLhod Lhe vlSA meLhod doesnL derlve a ln 1he vv value ls used Lo conflrm Lhe ln
enLered aL Lhe Lermlnal was also used Lo generaLe Lhe reference vv 1he ln used Lo generaLe a vv
can be randomly generaLed or user selecLed or even derlved uslng Lhe l8M meLhod
edlL
ln securlLy

llnanclal lns are ofLen fourdlglL numbers ln Lhe range 00009999 resulLlng ln 10000 posslble
numbers SwlLzerland ls a noLable excepLlon wlLh slx dlglL plns belng glven by defaulL Powever some
banks do noL glve ouL numbers where all dlglLs are ldenLlcal (such as 1111 2222 ) consecuLlve (1234
2343 ) numbers LhaL sLarL wlLh one or more zeroes or Lhe lasL four dlglLs of your soclal securlLy
number Many ln verlflcaLlon sysLems allow Lhree aLLempLs Lhereby glvlng a card Lhlef a 006
probablllLy of guesslng Lhe correcL ln before Lhe card ls blocked 1hls holds only lf all lns are equally
llkely and Lhe aLLacker has no furLher lnformaLlon avallable whlch has noL been Lhe case wlLh some of
Lhe many ln generaLlon and verlflcaLlon algorlLhms LhaL banks and A1M manufacLurers have used ln
Lhe pasL9

ln 2002 Lwo hu sLudenLs aL Cambrldge unlverslLy loLr Zlellnskl and Mlke 8ond dlscovered a securlLy
flaw ln Lhe ln generaLlon sysLem of Lhe l8M 3624 whlch was dupllcaLed ln mosL laLer hardware known
as Lhe declmallzaLlon Lable aLLack Lhe flaw would allow someone who has access Lo a banks compuLer
sysLem Lo deLermlne Lhe ln for an A1M card ln an average of 13 guesses1011

lf a moblle phone ln ls enLered lncorrecLly Lhree Llmes Lhe SlM card ls blocked unLll a ersonal
unblocklng Code (uC or uk) provlded by Lhe servlce operaLor ls enLered lf Lhe uC ls enLered
lncorrecLly Len Llmes Lhe SlM card ls permanenLly blocked requlrlng a new SlM card

SafeLy pracLlces for ln12
LlmlL ln usage
use Lhe llnk key lnsLead of Lhe ln
use lnslde secure envlronmenLs
edlL
ln number

1he Lerm ln number (hence personal ldenLlflcaLlon number number) ls commonly used 1hls ls an
example of 8AS syndrome (8edundanL Acronym Syndrome syndrome)
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8everse ln hoax