I introduce this chapter with a question that will represent the future of our phones: what is eSIM technology?
Esim technology was defined for the first time in 2016 and the first products came out in 2017, since last year the telephone operators in Europe offer eSIM technology in the tariff plans, in this article I will explain the advantages and disadvantages in the simplest possible way.
I start by saying what eSIM is, in practice it is a sim card that serves to connect the phone with the network of your operator (Vodafone, Verizon, T-Mobile, Orange), think that in the last 30 years we have gone from a sim card that was as big as an American Express card passing through a nano sim not to forget the micro sim and the mini sim.
This eSIM is the latest technology and you find it compatible with 30 products currently available on the phone market, specifically the eSIM is an electronic component soldered to the motherboard of the device, the component measures 6 x 5mm long and 0.67mm thick.
Advantages: allows some phones to become dual-sim, have a phone line with nanosim and one with eSIM , another advantage is to have speed in terms of flexibility at the operator level for example I can change phone provider more often and activate another line in a few seconds without waiting for mail or going to a specialized store.
Disadvantages: the first of all is the possibility that the card can not move, if you want to change your sim card and insert it into another phone it will not be possible.
Not being able to remove the electronic component inside the phone you will have to go through an application to be able to transfer all your data from one phone to another phone.
Another disadvantage is that you can not change phone lines so quickly with only one phone, if for example you change your telephone operator with a sim card you will have to deactivate the old line on your phone then activate the new one.
Another problem of eSIM is the transfer of a line from one phone to another phone, for example you have a smartphone with a sim card and want to transfer your line to another eSIM phone, you will have to contact your operator by email associated with your line in order to associate the phone with your account.
How will the carrier behave?
How do I manage this procedure?
There are many obscure points because the problem is that most phones on the market are based on nanosim.
Apple smartphones starting from the XS model, 11,12 … (there are also some iPad Pro and R+ Apple Watch series 3/4/5/6), Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, Galaxy 21, Z series (Flip, Fold, Watch2 and Watch Galaxy 3) then there is Hauwei (P40, M 40), Motorala Razr, Google Pixels (3, 4, 5) and Oppo watch.
Personally I think that eSIM technology will be protagonist in the future, (announced by Qualcomm integrated into the systems, without the need to have a specific chip).
Within the next four years, 87% of mobile operators and smartphone manufacturers will produce compatible devices to accommodate eSIMs to adapt to the new technology. Two-thirds of device manufacturers believe that 37% of their devices will be connected via eSim in 2025/2026. 20% expect most of their products to be connected with the new technology by that date, the virtual SIM business was valued at $260 million in 2017. It will be $980 million by 2023.
