LTE Devices: Embedded vs Removable UICC

LTE standards require devices to use Universal Integrated Circuit Cards (UICC) otherwise known as SIMs (Subscriber Identity Modules from GSM days) to authenticate to the network.

So this is all well and good from an intentions standpoint as theoretically it allows end users to switch UICC modules into multiple devices and have any one of those devices attach to the LTE network as our device. Unfortunately this is not the case in practice though. See example:

For the US market, The iPhone 5 supports a REMOVABLE micro UICC where as the Samsung Galaxy 3 uses an EMBEDDED UICC.

This is hogwash for people like me that want the flexibility to change devices to suit my needs (for example, changing to an iPhone when visiting my Samsung buddies or using the SG3 in meeting s in Cupertino etc…)

So there is a standard here but it’s not a standard. On the one hand it’s good for me, Joe Six Pack, to have a removable UICC so I can switch devices at my whim, or when one gets broken or stolen etc.. however on the other hand I can see where embedded devices like picture frames and alarm systems might be better off with an embedded UICC. Oh yeah, it’s a tad more difficult to steal and use an embedded UICC LTE device but it’s not impossible, so that is an advantage for embedded. 

Now when this gets resolved, by hopefully every UE supporting a removable UICC, then we will have to go hammer on Apple and other manufacturers to use the latest QCOM/Broadcom etc… RF components to build us a single device that traverses multiple networks. (no more ATT SKU vs VZW SKU.) Because with a single devices and a removable UICC, we can be VERY HAPPY CONSUMERS, with CHOICES that can hold operators accountable for their choices. 

Source: http://www.sonlte.com/2013/01/03/lte-devices-embedded-vs-removable-uicc/