Portuguese carrier TMN pairs Samsung Blue Earth with world's first paper SIM card
By Chris Ziegler 
posted April 27th 2010 2:09PM
posted April 27th 2010 2:09PM
Tiny SIM cards seems like the last thing worth worrying about in our bid to save the environment one tree at a time -- but let's not forget that you end up throwing away about 80 percent of the card as soon as you pop the actual chip out and stick it in your phone. Portuguese carrier TMN has rolled out what it claims to be the world's first recycled paper SIMs in combination with the release of the Samsung solar-charging Blue Earth handset, delivering a powerful one-two combo of feel-good environmental responsibility that should boost your karma for a solid day or two (if not more). You can't get the paper SIM with TMN's other devices just yet, but in the meantime, you can pick up the Blue Earth package for a stout €239 ($318).[Thanks, Ricardo]
Then way package it that big (credit card size) in the first place?, my understanding is that very old GSM devices use the credit card sim cards, but are these device still exist?!
@Ahmed Alzayani
I've always assumed it was because of the risk of losing such a tiny card... it has to be packaged somehow.
@Ahmed Alzayani
That doesn't really matter. It's probably cheaper to use standard-sized credit cards (I think the chips proper even occupy the same spot, now that I thuink about it...), with the advantage of having an easier to manage card, along with no need for an extra sheet of paper just so you know your new PIN and PUK.
@Ericloewe
You can take your opinion and get the PUK out of here.
Just dont turn my phone into paper ::
@jiggz Somebody already tried, but I guess it didn't work out so well:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/01/19/10_paper_mobile_phone/
Just don't drop your phone in the toilet, or get it wet. Nothing like a soggy SIM card.
Finally the samsung blue earth surfaces?
I thought it was a pretty cool concept -- too bad the end result wasn't very good and the solar charging thing didn't work out so good.
Oh well...keep at it, treehuggers need their "green" (or should I say blue?) phones.
This is all crap, I mean I like all this planet saving effort, but someone is charging PREMIUM for it...being green doesnt need to be expensive but hey why not charge it
Wow what moran thought up this idea, then found another to approve it?
LOL how much plastic are you going to save?
I have been using my simcard for how many YEARS now?
I think the ackage of Ring-Dings at the grocery store had more plastic than this... or that Pop-Station from the Dollar store...
As a matter of fact just for this stupidity I'm going to throw some plastic in the garbage instead of the recycling bin just to show you how futile your efort was..
Here I go...
and I'm back.. F-U you bunch of Whale kissing-Tree huggin moon maidens!
And F- Apple for sending the RACT Gazpacho on Gizmodo, (even though it was entertaining to read)
@AppleDrank
1) Well, presumably a lot of plastic would be saved, remember, most people use a new sim card when they get a new phone. Because so many people buy new phones annually, this would add up to save a lot of plastic.
2) You may keep the same sim card, but many people enjoy creating the hassle which is associated with having to update their phone book and so use a new sim card with a new phone.
3) The packaging on ring dings is probably recyclable (I wouldn't know, they're not sold in the UK), also, ring dings are only sold in the USA (I wouldn't know, seeing as I'm not Wikipedia),therefore; fewer ring dings are sold than sim cards meaning that wing ding packaging is less likely to harm the environment (because less is likely to be produced).
4) Not recycling just for that reason is just spiteful.
5) Play nice, no need for name calling.
6) Again with the incoherent verbal diarrhoea? You should really get that checked out.
@Professor Hubert J Farnsworth
But if you take my spite away... I have no motivation in life!
@AppleDrank
What about whiskey and hookers?
@AppleDrank
gazpacho=soup
@snugs
no shite sherlock
What a load of crap. My phone doesnt use a SIM card, why don't I get a pat on the back? More pointless greenwashing. This is sort of like when Ford bragged about using soy-based polyurethane foam in the seats of their 10 mpg truck.
@jeffteeth
Your phone may not, but just about everywhere else in the world all phones do, and whatt'ya know? People like the concept of, you know, not being tied to carrier-supplied phones (whatever the reason may be), along with the neat feature of saving your contacts should you not have a smartphone and/or a backup of your contacts when your phone dies/is replaced.
I think the only thing made of paper is the actual SIM holder used for packaging which used to be made of plastic. The SIM card is still a piece of plastic.
The price of the thing is a little steep, if I had 200€ to spend I think I would get a better phone instead of buying this... (and yes, I do care about the environment, but I think that this is not the ideal solution for the problem...)
Why not just build in the sim card to the phone and reassign the serial number or whatever to your account if you switch phones. This may piss off 0.1% of phone users who like to swap handsets daily, but whatever. CDMA don't get that option anyways.
These are the same "visionaries" that came up with locking a device to a sim as a "profit" model, way back in the day. They have a lot of firsts. A state sponsored mobile company operator with a "green" heart. How pathetic when you consider they have some of the worst value per minute prices in Europe.
@fast
+1 on you.
This is a publicity stunt from a lousy carrier (i use it)
Why i use it? Because i have no choice!
Here in Portugal we live in a fake "lets pretend" market, where the 3 carriers do exact same DRACONIAN plans, price exactly same, with same limits, same conditions, same policies, same pathetic support.
From the awesome 250 or 500 mb a month (yes i said month) for over 50 dollars , to the usb 3g pens which all 3 carriers share exact same data plans and exact same policies. i mean EXACT same , copy paste style.
This TMN you talk about is just one of the three parts of a under the table agreement MONOPOLY.
Sad to see Engadget used as a press release hub via a buzzword. I was expecting more from the team.
@Ahmed Alzayani
I work for a plastic Card company in the UK, although we don't make many SIM cards anymore i had a project for some about 6 months ago.
The way it was explained to me was a cost element, the SIM is 820 micron PVC the same as a credit/debit card so the easiest thing to do was make it credit card size and punch out the SIM template at the end.
Otherwise you have massive tooling costs to change 3 or 4 machines capabilities. The PVC used in each card costs virtually nothing anyway so doing away with the unsused part won't save much money at all.
Holy crap, forget recycling and solar power, THIS will save the world from global warming!
Maybe this was just so people could cut their SIMs down to micro sim size easier for the iPad 3G....
Yay, go Portugal :)
Paper sims? Sounds ripe for exploitation by AT&T
Hold on, at the end of the day, the plastic sim card is made of plastic, why on earth it is not recyclable?
@A N Other
It seems like plastic, but it is plain paper tinted blue as the carrier's color. But what buggers me is the price of the phone. Really expensive :\.
(I also live in Portugal)
@DarkWebster I mean, the "original" SIM card is made of plastic, we can just recycle it, can't we?
Wow, I live in Portugal and I didn't know that.
Wouldn't the SIM card catch on fire it the phone overheats or something?
Paper burns at about 300°C. Plastic melts at about 150°C.
First linguiça & now this. Portugal rocks!
@Scythe
You might also find that your call logs are replaced with other kinds of logs, and all of those dirty messages you sent to your mother in law just got a whole lot dirtier.
Sorry, I'll get my coat...