Microsoft By Lee Mathews Jan. 8, 2016 2:29 pm
Do you own a Windows 10 device with a SIM card slot? It looks like Microsoft will soon let you fill it with a first-party SIM to ease your data worries while you’re roaming.
It sounds as though Microsoft’s SIM card will work a lot like the one Apple started offering in the fall of 2014. Pick up a Microsoft SIM, pop it in to a Windows 10 tablet, laptop, or phone, and install the Mobile Data app from the Windows Store. After that, you can simply connect to the cellular data network just like you would a new WiFi hotspot.
You’ll purchase plans through the Windows Store, but Microsoft hasn’t detailed their offerings yet. They may let you choose contract-free plans from partner carriers or they could keep things simple and just sell you buckets of data.
If you’re comfortable using a Microsoft account and having payment information stored in it, Microsoft’s new SIM and Mobile Data app will provide a hassle-free (and contract-free) way for you to add a cellular data service to your device. It’s an especially nice way to pick up service when you’re roaming internationally.
The Mobile Data app has already popped up in the Windows Store, but it won’t do you any good without that Microsoft SIM card according to the app’s description. There’s also a chance that it may not work with your portable PC. The Store listing says that it’s “designed to work solely with specific Windows 10 devices,” so until we know what those are there’s an additional reason to skip the install for now.