Virgin SIMs old and new: any difference?

PlutoinCapricorn

I bought a cheap PAYG mobile in 2003. It was on the Virgin Network.

As it has started to malfunction, I have just got a more up to date cheap PAYG phone and put the original SIM in as it had quite a large credit balance.

I can see my contact list and the credit balance, although I lost my inbox after the transfer. I have been wondering whether I would get more facilities etc. if I got a new Virgin SIM. 2003 seems like the stoneage now, in terms of developments.

DUTR

What was the old handset? Older sim cards were 5v working, more recent ones are 3v working.

PlutoinCapricorn

The old handset is a SIEMENS A50. I have used it for 8 1/2 years so it was a shock to see what my new Samsung C3050 could do. It made me wonder if I could get even more new facilities from a recent Virgin SIM. I don't know what 5v and 3v mean.

stilltheone

You old SIM probably does not have 3G capability.

DUTR

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

The old handset is a SIEMENS A50. I have used it for 8 1/2 years so it was a shock to see what my new Samsung C3050 could do. It made me wonder if I could get even more new facilities from a recent Virgin SIM. I don't know what 5v and 3v mean.

5 volt and 3 volt,
The volt is defined as the value of the potential difference (voltage) across a conductor when a current of one ampere dissipates one watt of power in the conductor.[2] It is also equal to the potential difference between two points 1 meter apart in an electric field of 1 newton per meter. Additionally, it is the potential difference between two points that will impart one joule of energy per coulomb of charge that passes through it. It can be expressed in terms of SI units as follows:

Basically the older sim may require more electrical pressure to work, which the new phone won't provide

PlutoinCapricorn

Thank you for the physics lesson - the old SIM did indeed not seem to work very well in the new phone. I thought that the old phone was failing because of the battery, but have learned that SIMs are intended to last 2-3 years so perhaps the old SIM is dying too.

DUTR

PlutoinCapricorn wrote: »

Thank you for the physics lesson - the old SIM did indeed not seem to work very well in the new phone. I thought that the old phone was failing because of the battery, but have learned that SIMs are intended to last 2-3 years so perhaps the old SIM is dying too.

SIM cards are electrical devices, so can fail, but technology allowed lower voltage sim cards which aids high capacity batteries, it's been a long time since I studied electronics, but it wouldn't suprise me if sim cards can now work at less than 3volts