The iPhone 5 is a very noticeable 18% slimmer than the 4S. In order to reduce thickness, Apple had to completely overhaul previously used technology – like replacing the 30-pin connector with the new Lightning connector – or further reduce size of existing components, something you’ll notice when you realize that your shiny new iPhone doesn’t have enough room for your standard SIM or Micro SIM card; the iPhone 5 uses an even smaller Nano SIM card.

The launch of the next iPhone is almost upon us, and in order to be completely ready for the sixth-generation iPhone device, carriers are beginning to see shipments of the Nano-SIM long-expected to be a requirement for using the device. Apple was among the first to deploy the Micro-SIM with the iPhone 4 back in 2010, and in order to save even more space within the smartphone’s interior, the Nano-SIM does away with essentially all unnecessary plastic.

Apple, perhaps more so than any other tech company, tries its utmost to shave as much unnecessary baggage from its product range through generations, and although we’ve seen some significant downsizes in recent times – the Retina MacBook Pro, for example – sometimes the reductions can only be achieved a little at a time.

Earlier on this week, we learned European carriers were stockpiling nano-SIM cards in anticipation for the launch of the next-generation iPhone. For those who missed the previous report, the nano-SIM removes all needless plastic from the micro-SIM, saving those precious extra millimeters within a mobile device for more important hardware.

Following the news surrounding Apple’s proposed nano-SIM format – which is essentially a mico-SIM stripped of all unnecessary “bevel” plastic – it appears that European mobile carriers are preparing for the launch of the next-generation iPhone by stockpiling on nano-SIMs. Given that the standard was proposed by Apple (while they aren’t named exactly, it’s evident that the approved design is at least heavily based on their proposal) – and subsequently approved by ETSI (the European Telecommunications Standards Institute) – it’s fairly safe to assume that they will be using it in their next-generation iPhone.