Apple iPad Air 2: New 'soft sim' could drive down mobile costs

Built-in sim-card could break mobile suppliers' stranglehold by offering iPad Air 2 customers greater choice

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Apple's new iPad Air 2 tablet has an inbuilt software-based sim rather than a removable plastic card, which could offer customers greater freedom in choosing their mobile supplier.

Most mobile devices currently connect to phone networks using a sim card supplied by a mobile network. The cards allow mobile providers to bind customers to their service by "locking" the devices, keeping them connected to a particular carrier even if a customer wants to end his or her contract early.

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