Finish mobile device manufacturer Nokia has lost out to Apple in the fight to decide on a new standard for Sim cards. Other competitors included BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion and Google’s recent acquisition, Motorola Mobility. The hope is that smaller Sim cards will allow for better use of space inside mobile devices.

Sim cards have to be standardised in order to allow users to change networks and handsets at will. The new size specifications for so-called “nano Sims” — technically called the fourth form factor (4FF) — should allow for larger batteries and/or increased memory in mobile devices.

Bloomberg reports that Nokia and Apple had competing proposals and failed to reach an agreement during a two-day meeting in March where it was hoped a single format would be agreed on.

The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (Etsi) says the new standardised form factor — 12,3mm wide, 8,8mm tall and 0,67mm thick — will be “40% smaller than the current smallest design” and will be “packed and distributed in a way that is backwards compatible with existing Sim designs.

Etsi says the new design will offer the same functionality as all current Sim cards. It also says the move should allow for more features in mobile devices.

“Today’s Sim card designs take up a significant amount of space inside a mobile device. This space is more and more valuable in today’s handsets, which deliver an ever increasing number of features.”

According to MacWorld, Nokia is unhappy with the decision from Etsi. The Finnish company says the selected specification is technically inferior and that it believes the existing micro-Sim standard — or 3FF — will remain the preferred option for many manufacturers when designing new devices. — (c) 2012 NewsCentral Media