iPhone 5 India buzz: Airtel, Vodafone place orders for Nano-SIMs

Apple announced its 6th generation iPhone 5 yesterday, and Apple fans from India have only one question on their minds. When is the device coming to India? For customers in US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the UK, the iPhone 5 will be available on Friday, 21 September. Pre-orders start on 14 September. As for India the wait might not be as long as usual. According to BGR AirTel and Vodafone have already placed orders for new nano-SIM cards, and this means that the iPhone 5 is coming soon. The latest model of the iPhone does not use a regular SIM card and Apple has chosen to go with Nano-SIMs for this device. [caption id=“attachment_455234” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. AFP[/caption] The report says, Airtel is sourcing them from Oberthur and Vodafone from Syscom. Aircel, which along with Airtel has been Apple’s carrier partner in India, is also said to be placing its orders. The report indicates that the launch in India could be sooner than expected and the iPhone 5 could be available as soon as mid-October. BGR had also previous reported that Apple would be retailing the iPhone 5 in India in the open market rather than relying solely on its carrier partners. Unlike previous versions users cannot simply cut their regular SIM to make a Nano SIM, like they do any in the case of Micro-SIMs. A Nano-SIM, is 40 percent smaller than the current micro-SIM format and measures just 12.3mm wide by 8.8mm high, and 0.67mm thick. Customers have the option of buying adapters to convert the nano-SIM into a Micro or Normal SIM. More details here. For key features of the iPhone 5 click here.  To know why Indian Telecom operators aren’t in love with Apple click here.