In 2021, there were more than 14 billion cellular devices in the world even though there were only 7 billion people. The ubiquity of these devices – but especially smartphones – has come to define the contemporary era together with climate change, antimicrobial resistance, and war. But for smartphones’ outsize mark on history, one essential component of theirs has flown somewhat under the radar: the SIM card.
What is a SIM card?
‘SIM’ stands for ‘subscriber identification module’. Specifically, it is an integrated circuit, or a microchip, that identifies the subscriber on a given network.
