@softech wrote:
@XionBunny wrote:
I can't wait till providers actually come out with reuseable sim cards, would be less pollution, hell I don't care if they charged more for them.
honest, the technology can certainly make it reusable.. why not? I guess is greed.
don't think anyone is going to change this system.. as eSIM will be the future.. but eSIM is going so slow.. so far, only Apple going all in with it.. i guess they don't have full support from the carriers.
Each SIM - Subscriber Identity Module - is a unique token. Once the original owner has abandoned a SIM there's no way for the carrier to confirm subsequent (re)activation of the SIM is still the original owner or is even done with the original owner's knowledge/consent.
This is important for consumer "security" - you don't want somebody else to reactivate a SIM card after they steal your phone or found it in the trash. They could steal your account and number, a solid first move for identity theft. They could monitor, intercept, spoof, or otherwise manipulate your communications instead.
It's far more important for carrier "security" - that is, they need confidence that all the telemetry and datamining associated with each subscriber stays intact, that it doesn't lose value by being tangled up with other identities.
An analogy is to think of the SIM card as the key which opens a lock, where each account has a unique lock and therefore requires a unique key. If you let the account expire or you force it to terminate (by porting your number and service to another operator) then your old locks get sealed forever and your old key will no longer work. Gotta buy a new one.
Most people don't think much about SIMs - cheap little things you need to buy to make your phone work. But the little chip on your SIM card is just as important as the little chip on your bank card or credit card - it could cost you just as much money and grief if a thief gets it out of your pocket.
