The new SIM card from Anywhere SIM is an concept which deserves to catch on. The basic idea is to have one SIM card which can automatically switch to any of a number of service providers, depending on their signal in your location. Presto, suddenly you’re always getting the maximum signal where you are. No more crouching next to the back window to get three bars.

The SIM, which ships in the usual sizes for most phones, comes with a single Pay As You Go tariff which doesn’t care about countries in the EU or UK and offers a decent rate for calls and text starting a 10p per minute. The product is specifically aimed at those who travel a lot, or those who just want a reliable signal no matter where they are.

Matt Wright, the founder of the company, tells me that there are millions of people who suffer from bad, patchy signals, especially if they do fishing, caravanning or other outdoor pursuits. Buyers get a single 02 number to use (based on the Manx Telecom service), and the SIM switches automatically between the other networks, such as Vodafone and EE as necessary. The user doesn’t have to do anything. All the tariff prices are the same no matter which service you use at any time.

The downside is there’s currently no 4G (in development) and you can’t send or receive MMS, neither of which should be deal breakers for the target market. A good 3G signal can deliver pretty fast data with the right network. At the moment European country prices are slightly higher than UK (12p vs 10p), but that may change to a unified charge over time, and inbound texts and calls are free no matter where you are. Nice idea, hope it does well. More at Anywhere SIM.