Apple has won a battle over the standard for a smaller SIM card, the use of which would leave more room for other components inside future phones and tablets.

The Smart Card Platform Technical Committee of the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI) agreed Saturday on a standard for so called nano-SIMs. Apple’s specification beat a competing proposal from Nokia, Research In Motion (RIM) and Google owned Motorola Mobility, according to macworld.com.

The new nano-SIM cards will measure 12.3x8.8mm, and have the same thickness as current micro SIM cards, VentureBeat reports. These are the specs Apple was gunning for, so Nokia and Motorola must be mighty peeved.

With modern mobiles becoming even smaller and slimmer than ever, space is at a premium. Hence the decision to shrink down the SIM. Nokia and Motorola proposed a design with different specs which they thought technically superior to Apple''s. Nokia claimed Apple's design didn't meet ETSI's standards, saying it would get stuck in a micro SIM slot, and could lead to plenty of headaches for consumers, reports, CNET.

According to Bloomberg ETSI agreed to pick Apple's SIM card standard, beating a proposal from Nokia, MacWorld said on its website, citing cardmaker Giesecke & Devrient. Spokespersons for ETSI and Nokia couldn't immediately be reached for comment. 

In March, a two day meeting to adopt a format from competing proposals by Apple and Nokia finished without reaching a decision. The smartcards that identify wireless subscribers are standardized to reduce industry costs and give consumers freedom to switch handsets and networks. Smaller versions permit the design of thinner phones.