Verizon's 4G LTE SIM in the wild

It's still baking our noodles to think about a Verizon device using a SIM on American soil -- but sure enough, those cards allegedly set up in Big Red's systems are floating around in the wild. What you're looking at here is a SIM that will slot into Verizon's LTE-enabled 4G devices when they launch later this year (hence the big "4G" logo on there), and yes, they look just like the SIMs you've been using for the last two decades on carriers around the world. The more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems.

[Thanks, RWN]

Verizon's 4G LTE SIM in the wild

[koolerz1569 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:32AM]

I feel like the Verizon iPhone is real.

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:35AM]

@koolerz1569

LTE is real 4g. Wimax is just ghetto wifi with speeds topping out around 2.5 mbps in the real world. lmao at evo owners bragging about 4g but really having 3.2g

[liftedngifted1 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:37AM]

@koolerz1569 Verizon iPhone rumors in 3, 2, 1... Go!!!!

[roman7927 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:37AM]

@koolerz1569
CDMA RIP, it's about time
WiMax RIP, it's about time

[Jeff Kibuule Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:38AM]

@MicrosoftOwns

There isn't an official definition of 4G yet. Cool your fanboy jets, pal.

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:38AM]

@MicrosoftOwns

FYI (for everyone) LTE is not 4G, it's more like a stepping stone to 4G. Just want to stop the confusion... that is all.

2G --- 3G --- LTE (aka 3.5G or 3.9G) --- 4G

[koolerz1569 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:39AM]

@liftedngifted1 RWN, the person who tipped this thing, also showed the CDMA/GSM mifi. So he might as well show us the iPhone for verzion. xD

[splmonster Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:41AM]

@MicrosoftOwns Yeah lol us Evo owners, yet i'm getting a lot higher then your so called 2.5mb's a second. Plus why does a phone need more then say 10mb a second? Just give me one solid reason at this point in our technology and industry why we need more? To brag?

[engadgetcomexcludeengadget Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:43AM]

@liftedngifted1 I don't think a Verizon iPhone would have 4G. It they do release one this year (however unlikely that may be), it would be standard 3G.

[uckApple Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:43AM]

@liftedngifted1

Its too late, he already said it..

Lol

[darth vader Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:44AM]

@koolerz1569 its a regular sized sim card, the new iphones use micro-sims...

[samsoniteace Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:44AM]

@koolerz1569
i still dont think the iPhone will be here until at earliest next summer
all i can say is i love getting Wimax but im wondering how that compares to LTE
i saw the rumor about sprint teaming with tmobile for LTE but i was in doubt bc they just are investing quite a bit in wimax....

any help or thoughts?

[koolerz1569 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:47AM]

@darth vader who knows, the verizon iphone might use a regular sized sim card. just sayin. :D

[InTheRye Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:50AM]

@splmonster to subscribe to OnLive and play crysis on your phone. while on the bus, on the way to gramma's

[bob1000 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:54AM]

@koolerz1569 Holy crap. Verizon and iPhone (or Android) + 4G = happiness. They will need to keep their prices under control however. I read somewhere that Verizon was badmouthing Sprint's $10 4G fees, so we will have to see if that means anything.

[telepheedian Posted Jul 19th 2010 2:26AM]

@bob1000 They also said they were investigating AT&T style caps. I'd sooner cough up the 10 than get capped and charged extra for "overuse".

[Firewave Posted Jul 19th 2010 2:30AM]

@darth vader

I dont get why verizon isnt making Microsim a standard with 4G. I mean, apple fanboism aside(Im not a fanboy, just making sure people dont think Im saying this because the new iphone has microsim.) arent sim and microsim the same thing, only microsim is smaller? Seems to me like it a place where space is so important, they would have chosen the smaller microsim. And its not like any phones right now can use LTE(not exactly sure about this), so you dont have to worry about being compatible with current phones.

[Plazmic Flame Posted Jul 19th 2010 2:50AM]

@engadgetcomexcludeengadget

Understand that a LTE network can support 3G devices as well. So just like our CDMA carriers in Canada got an LTE network and launched with the iPhone 3GS, so too will Verizon launch the iPhone 4 when it's LTE network goes online...

...unless Apple and Verizon still haven't kissed and made up.

[Bahumbug Posted Jul 19th 2010 3:33AM]

@Jeff Kibuule Yes, there is. Just that LTE is 3.9G and LTE Adv will be 4G - officially. LTE is, as we see here, still marketed as 4G.

[robbydek0 Posted Jul 19th 2010 5:57AM]

@Plazmic Flame

Actually, I would argue that LTE is 4G, since it has been proven that LTE is capable of obtaining speeds of 100 Mbps (the 4G definition).
Here is an example: http://lteworld.org/news/ericsson-shows-lte-voice-100-mbps-data-call

Now, it's possible that the technology could change down the road, but I don't think so, not with Verizon's aggressive plan and AT&T and T-mobile future commitments.

Now, LTE is probable years away from reaching true 4G speeds, but I'm pretty sure it will end up being the 4G technology.

[FreshLeo Posted Jul 19th 2010 6:29AM]

@koolerz1569 "You know the more things change ... The more they stay the same" - Diggin on James Brown

[Plothole Posted Jul 19th 2010 6:37AM]

@darth vader
Strictly speaking the whole card constitutes a regular/full size SIM card. That cut-out, what most GSM phones use currently, is a mini-SIM.

[keyrol Posted Jul 19th 2010 7:54AM]

@roman7927 hell yeah. about time CDMA died. that's the core reason i've avoided verizon and sprint. bloody CDMA.

[slimmer Posted Jul 19th 2010 11:08AM]

@keyrol

really?

CDMA > GSM

[humzarizvi Posted Jul 19th 2010 11:16AM]

@darth vader It's not very hard to manufacture new sized sims so that shouldn't be a problem.

[scorpeo Posted Jul 19th 2010 12:19PM]

@Plazmic Flame, I have no idea why you're being down ranked, you're correct! The LTE 700Mhz Verizon and At&t will use is a marginal upgrade from the current GSM. New infrastructure is not being built for LTE 700Mhz. LTE-Advanced (2.5Ghz) is the 4G standard: http://www.gsmworld.com/technology/lte.htm

Also, I do not know why some still think Verizon will have a 4G "handset" this year? According to this info, a 4G "handset" will not land on Verizon until mid 2011: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=189051 -That's at the earliest!

[scorpeo Posted Jul 19th 2010 12:25PM]

@robbydek0, theoretical test are not proof, real-world testing is. ;)

[dr154 Posted Jul 19th 2010 2:28PM]

@koolerz1569 is has slightly been confirmed that verizon will be getting the iphone beginning next your from at&t.

[abedinthehouse Posted Jul 19th 2010 4:41PM]

@koolerz1569
Im just pissed I went to ATT last month only so I can use the DEL Lightning (SIM) when it comes out latter this year and go LTE latter next year, had I known Big V (Verizon) would have gone SIM with their LTE I would have just got a plan with them instead. Here's hopeing that this competition causes ATT to get their act together, and one giving the other a run for their money! Looks like its Red vs Blue!

[sprint10 Posted Aug 7th 2010 6:54PM]

@koolerz1569
Keep dreaming. Verizon will use full size LTE SIM card, the iPhone 4 has micro-SIMs. You can say what you want, but there's no Verizon iPhone coming in the next year, I promise

[strawe Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:33AM]

The future is here.

[oproski Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:40AM]

@strawe I actually will switch to Verizon now. Sim cards were the only thing holding me back.

[Endadget Posted Jul 19th 2010 5:31AM]

@strawe

Having to still use SIM cards is hardly the future, IMO.

We need a new authentication system, something like a username (let's say, your phone number) and a password. You'd enter this into any phone and use it, just like you enter a SIM card now. The phone you entered this info last would be the only one with a carrier signal.
If your phone got stolen you'd just go to your carrier with an ID and he'd reset the password/cancel your number.

Benefits:
1. easier switching between phones, don't have to take anything out
2. phone makers wouldn't have to worry about fitting a SIM
1. no plastic pieces - less pollution

Seriously: why do we need a SIM?

[NuShrike Posted Jul 19th 2010 6:36AM]

@Endadget SIMs provide a portable hardware-unique encryption key that's burned into the chip, iirc, independent of any "validation" server. This way, it's portable between carriers, and mobiles. Your fingerprint, as it were.

[Endadget Posted Jul 19th 2010 6:58AM]

@NuShrike

"This way, it's portable between carriers"

Really? Then why did I get a new SIM every time I switched carriers?

Being connected to a carrier is pretty much the only thing a SIM is useful for and this could be replaced with password authentication. (Yeah, a SIM can also hold contacts/messages, but we know how to store and transfer those in other ways.)

The only argument for SIM cards is increased security, similar to hardware (USB key) copy protection with some software, whereas a password could be cracked. It's a relevant one, but I'm personally willing to take the risk. We already rely on passwords for dealing with money etc.

[RogueGenius Posted Jul 19th 2010 9:11AM]

@Endadget

You got a new SIM b/c they sold you one. That and you didn't unlock the phone(s) you were using. If you had an unlocked phone, it would work independent of the carrier and everything (including your SIM card) would be fine.

[Khav Posted Jul 19th 2010 9:19AM]

@Endadget "The only argument for SIM cards is increased security"

I'd say that's a pretty big argument.

[asperous Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:34AM]

Is it just me, or does that thing look gigantic?

[Lonnief2 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:38AM]

Are you serious or am I not detecting sarcasm? Its not the whole thing. The actual sim card is just above where it says SIM CARD. And I'm a lil worried for u if you were serious. Lol

[koolerz1569 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:41AM]

@Lonnief2 LOL

[kazz1896 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:42AM]

@asperous The sim card is on the big plastic piece. You have to punch it out.

[blargh Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:44AM]

@asperous
Well it's no micro sim

[uckApple Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:49AM]

@asperous

This isnt true, the large plastic card is the new 4G sim card.

The expanded size offers more antenna to frequency ratio, offering a far better range of download speeds.

The custom silicon that the chip inside the plastic card is like nothing you have ever seen.

The new LTE 4G is capable of 1 Trillion Mb/s Download and 1 Billion Mb/s Upload.

We were able to create this amazing and revolutionary method using our top scientists and elmoelaphantoligists. This new feature is only $97 Billion dollars a month.

Sent from my iPhone

[koolerz1569 Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:50AM]

@uckApple Well said. I love you.

[TitanT30 Posted Jul 19th 2010 3:04AM]

@asperous That's what she said.

[XChrisX Posted Jul 19th 2010 6:24AM]

@Lonnief2 /me thinks he is serious because he hasn't responded back yet.

[asperous Posted Jul 20th 2010 11:31PM]

@asperous

I was serious at first haha

[travisonfire Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:34AM]

CDMA dead?

[MicrosoftOwns Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:36AM]

@travisonfire

lte isnt true cdma. cdma is lame.

[rhomaion Posted Jul 19th 2010 1:52AM]

@MicrosoftOwns You don't even know what your talking about do you.