What is a SIM card number?

You might have heard of SIM cards. You might know a little about them—that connecting one to your phone connects it to the mobile network so you can use your cell phone. But have you ever stopped and thought about what a SIM card does or why it matters? Have you wondered why each one has a serial number and what that SIM card number might mean?

What is a SIM card, anyway?

SIM stands for subscriber identity module. It essentially identifies your phone and service to the mobile network so you can use texting and place phone calls. Without it, your phone is essentially an Internet tablet. Sure, you can connect to WiFi—but if someone calls you at your number, you need a SIM card for that call to connect to your phone.

Your SIM card is sort of like your phone’s ID. It stores your phone number and other information, such as your contacts list. When someone sends a text to you, they’re sending it to the device with a SIM card activated on it—otherwise, there’s nothing to differentiate you from the phone number you carry.

For example, let’s say you purchased an unlocked iPhone. This is a device you can immediately use to access the internet. But if you don’t put your SIM card into the iPhone, you’re not going to get any of your phone calls. Think of your SIM card as the rope between you and the cellular networks connecting you to the world. Without it, it’s tough to do anything. With it, you can communicate almost anywhere.

What is a SIM Card Phone Number?

The SIM card number, or ICCID number, is the identifying 18-22 digit code that identifies the SIM card with some specifics: region, for example, or which cellular phone network it can connect to. It might include the mobile country code to help distinguish where your phone is.

Unless, of course, you use the software. After all, we live in the digital age: simple access to the internet can work wonders. For example, let’s say that you upgraded your phone and are having trouble getting the SIM card working. Yet you desperately need to receive business calls through your phone—and you’re worried that an important client might be calling you at this precise moment.

Using a service like SLYFONE, which provides a second phone number, you can direct those calls to a mobile application. You can then access the SLYFONE mobile app, receiving and placing calls without a SIM card and without a mobile plan.

Apple or Android phone, SIM identification number or not—it doesn’t matter. If you sign up for a second mobile number you can access through the internet, all you need is a phone device to access your communications. But there is a wide range of reasons someone might enlist a second mobile number. The first is pricing: it can demand a hefty price tag to order a new phone with a unique phone number, even if you’re using family plans. But with a mobile application, you can pay much less every month—after all, there’s not another phone to use.

Today’s smartphones are wonders of modern telecommunications. But you don’t need a second physical device like an iPad to make these wonders work for you. For example, let’s say you run a business—and you need a business number. A service like SLYFONE can create that number for you. You can work through the application whenever you need to place a call. Or you can direct clients to that number and still receive calls on your original phone—as though you’re carrying two phones with you.
This has the added benefit of protecting your privacy. No longer will you have to publish your personal phone number online; you can sign up for a business number and publish that one instead. When a potential new client wants to ring you up, those calls can still go to your cellular phone. But in this case, the clients won’t have your number for texting you on the weekends. You can shut off the app.

You don’t need to add a new number to your Verizon account when you do this. Think of it as simply subscribing to a unique phone number. It’s easy to set up—requiring minimal tutorials—and can work with your existing phone service provider without any hiccups. As such, it’s probably the quickest and most inexpensive way to get around the SIM card number problem.

With a mobile phone number from SLYFONE, you can send and receive text messages as though you had a SIM card on a separate phone—it’s that easy. You can even use an iPad as a mobile device if you can access the internet and log into the app.

Getting their phones to work like this can be tricky for many people. They find they have to learn how to move SIM cards from one phone to another. That requires dealing with unexpected issues, such as handling a nano-SIM card in a device that might need a regular SIM card. But with a second phone number on a mobile app, there’s none of this physical legwork. You can sign up for your phone number, use the app, and go your way.

Why does a SIM card number matter? It helps to know what it means. But if you use your second mobile number the right way, it might not matter. You can keep one mobile network code in place, add the app to your phone, and function as though you have two SIM cards working together.