Apple's upcoming IPhone 5 is predicted for a June release date, but there could be an obstacle in the production process. The ETSI, a European commission that approves technology standards, has delayed a vote on adopting the company's new nano sim standard due to concerns that Apple will stack the vote. Design alternatives offered by Nokia also pose a challenge to passing the vote, according to the iPhone 5 News Blog.

At the end of March, a rumor surfaced that Apple would be implementing a newer, much thinner nano sim card design for its next iPhone. This would shrink the size of the current micro sim by almost a third, allowing more space for battery components.

The ETSI vote was originally planned for March 29th and has been postponed.

It appears that Nokia's overt unwillingness to license its potentially essential patents in the event that Apple's nano-SIM proposal is adopted and SanDisk's resistance to Nokia's proposal have resulted in an impasse, wrote technology blog Foss Patents.

This basically means that although Apple may control the SIM standard, smartphone manufacturers around the world must agree on the standards together. This is because each manufacturer holds a patent that contribute to a string of technology rights that make SIM designs universal.

There are two primary reasons Nokia is currently unwilling to budge on the matter. The first is simply for pure market advantage, to postpone a new design that would benefit Apple's new device. The second is because Nokia claims to have a better nano SIM design than the iPhone manufacturer, according iPhone 5 News Blog writer Michael Nace.

Nokia has said that if Apple's proposal as a nano-SIM standard, it would withhold its patents so that its technology wouldn't be included, according to Tech News World. The site also reported that Apple's proposal does not meet all the pre-agreed requirements for the so-called nano-SIM, Nokia spokesperson Mark Durrant said to the publication. He also elaborated, saying that Apple's proposed model is the same length as the width of the current micro-SIMs and so would risk jamming, leading to card and product damage.

As of now it is unclear whether or not Apple will continue to produce the iPhone 5 on schedule for a June release without their SIM being approved. If the company was to fail the vote, it could cause problems for the new product. ETSI rules declare that the final vote will take place no longer than 30 days after the delayed vote, so more information will be released by the end of the month.

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