SIM card manufacturer Sagem Orga has announced a partnership with Spanish wireless carrier Telefonica that will introduce the first SIM card with a built-in Wi-Fi radio and its own software which Sagem Orgacalls SIMFi.
The software and card are built to act as a Wi-Fi router, slinging data from the host device to other devices with Wi-Fi radios, much like Novatel’s MiFi, without the need for a dedicated device or additional phone programming. The SIMFi will be unveiled during Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week.
Makes one wonder if could be used for uma?
The phone’s firmware would have to be coded to support it. Really, UMA is more of a firmware feature that bridges Wi-Fi and cellular networks. If you have a reliable UMA implementation, it doesn’t really matter if the Wi-Fi card comes in the device, over microSD, or the SIM slot.
That said, it’s up to phone manufacturers to support it… and that’s a giant question mark. Considering most smartphones with Wi-Fi don’t even support UMA… I doubt this would give the platform traction. Keep in mind, the United States has abandoned UMA for femtocells, industry-wide.