her operator, you call your girlfriend with the SIM from her operator, you call your brother with a SIM from his operator. That is why operators hate multiple SIM phones. A user in these markets can go for several months with just a modest pre-paid buy-in. Is that the sign of an advanced market? Nope. I submit it is the opposite. It is the sign of a distorted market and a sign that users have an affordability problem. And that is why operators love the iPhone, even though they have to take a hit on margins due to the upfront subsidy. The iPhone has been the single most important tool to get users to become post-paid subscriber with a data plan. Apple has proven, even in places like China, that they can convert millions to a US-style post-paid subsidized plan. P.S. Tomi, there are a few hundred million mobile phone subscriptions with no SIM card, from little carriers like China Telecom and Verizon, each having over 100M SIM-less subs. :) :) They are not losing much sleep over multi-SIM phones and seem to be having record profits :) Just saying. @Publisher 2010 "not by statistical gimmicks - very literally do have an active mobile phone subscription (prepaid or post-paid) and at least one mobile phone handset that they use." No gimmicks? Well only if you think that every phone user/subscription is created equally. What is more valuable 1 UK iPhone user on a post paid voice/data plan and iTunes credit-card