Global shipments of SIM cards fell 193 million units to 4.94 billion in 2013, a drop of 3.8 per cent according to latest figures from ABI Research. The company noted that a number of separate issues combined to affect the market last year, varying from region to region. While some countries were boosted by the ongoing upgrade and addition of LTE and NFC-capable SIM cards, shipments of such high-end SIMs at a global level were below previous expectations for 2013. However, ABI said by far the most significant factor was the overall decline in Asia. Other regions also suffered as MNOs delayed launch of NFC payment services as well as full-blown IMS implementations for data and voice services in their 4G networks. However, activity in both areas increased in the second half of 2013 and ABI Research expects orders for SWP and ISIM UICC cards to grow in 2014 as the market returns to progression. Release