The SIM (Subscriber Identification Module) card revolutionised the way we used to communicate. It opened the world of portable communication. From using telephones to today’s smartphones we are the witness of the revolution. e-SIM will replace the SIM cards
The Evolution:
It’s been Twenty-five years since the first integration of SIM card, now the era of SIM card will end soon within few years.
What is an e-SIM?
The eSIM or Embedded Subscriber Identification Module and more formally known as embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC). An eSIM is a programmable SIM card that can permanently fit into devices.
It was announced as a standard in February 2016 at the GSMA Mobile World Congress. The eSIM specification describes a SIM on a chip that soldered directly onto the Motherboard or Circuit board of the connected or mobile device.
As it is embedded on the board there is no need to insert a physical SIM. Once a device has eSIM, the user will be able to select multiple mobile networks without physically changing the SIM card.
It has M2M (Machine to Machine) and Remote Provisioning capabilities. Remote Provisioning capabilities will provide us with an enhanced customer experience.
We can select our operator and what plan we want While activating and managing our phones through our phones settings.
How will e-SIM work?
The eSIM will hold the profiles of all of the associated companies and only the ones you are using will activated. Each profile will be a different company, just like every traditional SIM has its own telecom carrier.
In these profiles that are going to allow you to also have lines from a different telecom carrier. Same like you would in a device with two or even three SIM cards in the same device.
you can only have one profile activated, but the idea is to have multiple profiles running simultaneously.
Advantages of the e-SIM:
Changing the operator will become faster as the chosen operator will only have to upload its profile to the user’s phone.
Several operators can be used in a device as eSIM support is built into the device itself, and lets you choose from a variety of operators.
Roaming will disappear permanently.
Operators gain new business opportunities from a world of intelligently connected services and devices.
As manufacturers continuously strive to make smaller, slimmer and lighter devices with more features the eSIM technology will give device manufacturers more space.
Security:
The eSIM gives us a promise of an improved and more secure customer experience. However, Some critics believe that it will be easier for hackers to hack. Due to the cloud system which will be the backbone of the eSIM technology.
Internet of Things (IoT):
It means a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects. That has unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network.
Within the next few years, the Internet of Things devices will become the largest connect category, overtaking mobile phones.
As a result, eSIM will boost the IoT and It will not only help these connected devices work. In addition, it will also enable new categories of devices.
The Future is The Present:
In recent weeks Google and Apple brought the eSIM technology within their latest products. The Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Apple Watch Series 3 with Cellular and the Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch.
The eSIM will completely standardise across manufacturers within few years and Apple has already got something similar called Apple SIM.
Apple’s eSIM-friendly devices support a slew of national and international carriers. Sadly, the Google’s Pixel 2’s eSIM Only support Google’s own Project Fi cellular network.