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Why does a new SIM have entries in the FPLMN list?

FPLMN entries can appear if the SIM was powered on or tested before use.

Chandika Ambawatte avatar
Written by Chandika Ambawatte
Updated over a month ago

Environment

  • SIM type: applicable to all

  • Device: applicable to all

Question

  • Why does a newly installed SIM already have forbidden networks (FPLMN)

  • Shouldn’t the FPLMN list be empty on a new SIM?

  • Why would a newly installed SIM that has never been used previously have entries in the FPLMN list?

Answer

Even a newly-installed SIM can contain entries in the Forbidden Public Land Mobile Network (FPLMN) list if it was:

  • Powered on during manufacturing or provisioning

  • Used for testing before shipment

  • Attempted to connect to a network and was rejected; even briefly

Network rejections during these early stages can cause the device to write those networks to the FPLMN list.

Cause

FPLMN entries are created automatically by the device when a connection attempt fails. This behavior can occur outside the user’s control if the SIM was active in any pre-deployment process.

For more information on FPLMN and how to clear it, see:

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