Microsoft plans own mobile data Sim
While Microsoft has not made an announcement, it appears that the company is working on a SIM card that will allow users of certain Windows 10 devices to purchase data services from multiple carriers.
Microsoft will soon be launching SIM cards which could make the current contract system with network providers obsolete.
As Engadget noted, a company called Transatel, however, said in a Tuesday statement that Microsoft chose it to support “the upcoming paid cellular data service for Windows 10”. The cellular data service is also only available on certain devices though how one gets the aforementioned Microsoft SIM cards is still a mystery. The listing adds that the service is now available in some markets tipping that the Redmond giant may launch the service in select markets initially.
Information on what markets it will be available is not yet released on the site.
Microsoft also reported that Windows 10 continued to be the fastest growing version of Windows, outpacing the adoption of both Windows 8 and Windows 7. Transatel is a European mobile virtual network enabler. Alternatively, Microsoft could have signed a number of MVNO deals to piggy back off other services, similar to what brands such as Straight Talk and Virgin do. The company is already providing 3G/4G-LTE connectivity in more than 38 nations and has plans to increase coverage to 50 nations by the end of the first quarter.
It was earlier rumored that the Microsoft Lumia 650 would carry the Snapdragon 212 SoC. However, the new leak also says that the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 210. Apple SIM was launched in 2014 and now covers 90 countries.
That means no fixed contract and no long term commitments to a mobile network operator.