One article is enough to learn about eSIM!

Recently, there has been a lively discussion about eSIM online.

After so many years, why has eSIM suddenly "made a comeback"? What kind of impact will it have on the industry? Will it completely replace traditional SIM cards?

In today's article, Xiaozao Jun will conduct an in - depth interpretation.

What exactly is eSIM?

eSIM, short for Embedded - SIM, is an embedded SIM card.

Everyone is familiar with SIM cards. Its full name is Subscriber Identity Module, which is a chip that stores our mobile phone number information. Each of us has such a chip in our mobile phones.

Traditional SIM card

There are several size specifications for SIM cards, including: Full - Size SIM, Mini SIM, Micro SIM, and Nano SIM. As shown in the following figure:

Currently, the vast majority of domestic users use Nano SIM cards.

eSIM is smaller than Nano SIM. It is no longer in the form of a card but has directly become a small chip in the SON - 8 package format, embedded in the circuit board of terminal devices such as mobile phones.

eSIM is programmable. Through OTA (Over - The - Air) technology, users can remotely configure eSIM to download, install, activate, deactivate, and delete operator profiles.

That is to say, users can open a card, select a package, and change a number without going to the business hall, which is very convenient.

eSIM is considered a virtual SIM technology. In addition to eSIM, softSIM and vSIM also belong to virtual SIM technologies.

Huawei's SkyPass belongs to SoftSIM technology. It doesn't even have an embedded chip and directly implements SIM functions through pure software.

What are the advantages of eSIM?

Generally speaking, the advantages of eSIM include the following aspects:

1. Reduces space occupation

Today's mobile phones are becoming thinner and lighter. Traditional SIM cards require a dedicated card slot, which occupies a large amount of internal space in the mobile phone.

Using eSIM can further reduce the occupation of internal space in the device, reduce the design difficulty, and help make the device thinner and lighter.

In addition to mobile phones and tablets, wearable devices (such as smart watches) and Internet of Things (IoT) devices also have a great need for eSIM.

The internal space of such devices is smaller than that of mobile phones, and they need eSIM more to solve the space design problem.

2. Improves reliability

Traditional SIM cards are of the plug - in type and are connected through the metal contact points on the chip.

This method is prone to poor contact problems. In some demanding IoT scenarios (vibration, shaking, and bumps), this problem is more obvious.

In contrast, eSIM is directly soldered on the circuit board, which is more secure and has higher reliability.

3. Facilitates waterproofing and dust - proofing

Without the plug - in SIM card, there is no SIM card slot and no slot gap.

This makes it easier for terminals such as mobile phones to improve their waterproof and dust - proof levels. The applicable scenarios of IoT terminals also become more diverse.

4. Conveniences users

As mentioned before, after using eSIM, it will be more convenient for users to handle business.

Without a physical card and without plugging and unplugging, all operations such as opening a card, changing a card, and porting a number can be completed online, which greatly simplifies the process.

Users don't need to worry about the inconvenience caused by losing the SIM card, nor do they need to look for a card pin everywhere.

For users who travel abroad frequently, the convenience brought by eSIM is more obvious, and they no longer need to change cards frequently.

For IoT services, the absence of a physical SIM card is also very convenient. The number of IoT terminals is huge, and the usage scenarios are complex, making it more difficult to replace SIM cards.

What is the development process of eSIM?

eSIM is not a new concept. Apple was the first to propose it.

In 2011, Apple applied for a virtual SIM card patent from the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

A few years later, in 2014, Apple released its own SIM card, Apple SIM, which was embedded in the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3 tablets sold in the United States and the United Kingdom, allowing users' devices to dynamically select carrier networks.

In July 2015, Apple and Samsung planned to jointly launch an eSIM card. In August, Samsung launched its first smart watch supporting eSIM, the Gear S2.

In June 2016, GSMA announced the official release of the eSIM specification. This specification was supported by more than 30 global carriers (such as Deutsche Telekom, Telefónica, and AT&T in the United States), chip manufacturers, and smartphone manufacturers such as Apple, Samsung, Google, and Huawei.

In September 2017, the Apple Watch 3 released by Apple also adopted the eSIM solution.

In October 2017, the two mobile phones, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, released by Google became the first smartphones compatible with eSIM.

The popularity of eSIM abroad naturally attracted the attention of domestic players. Domestic enterprises, including the three major carriers, also began to try to promote this technology.

In June 2017, during the CES Asia in Shanghai, China Mobile launched an eSIM NB - IoT communication module M5310, which was the smallest in the world at that time, becoming a hot topic in the industry.

China Mobile's M5310 module

In the same year, China Unicom also made efforts in eSIM. Shanghai Unicom, in cooperation with Mobvoi, jointly launched the first domestic smart watch supporting eSIM, the Ticwatch2, which could achieve 3G communication.

In 2018, China Unicom launched a trial commercial operation of the "one - number, two - terminal" eSIM card service in six cities. At first, it only supported the Apple Watch, and later the Huawei Watch 2 Pro was added.

The one - number, two - terminal service allows users to add devices such as watches and tablets as eSIM - attached devices based on the account and package of the main mobile phone number. The two devices can share one number, share the call and data package, and can make calls and access the Internet independently.

In April 2018, China Unicom established the eSIM Industry Cooperation Alliance.

In 2018, Apple continued to increase its support for eSIM. The iPhone XS series supported eSIM for the first time, adopting a dual - card solution of "physical SIM + eSIM". Later, in 2022, the US - version iPhone 14 series completely cancelled the physical card slot (only supporting eSIM cards), becoming a milestone in the card - free era.

In 2019, China Mobile also launched a trial commercial operation of the eSIM "one - number, two - terminal" service (for non - IoT devices) in seven cities.

On November 16, 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology officially issued the "14th Five - Year Plan for the Development of the Information and Communication Industry", clearly stating: "Promote the application of embedded SIM cards (eSIM) and emerging technologies, and deepen the expansion of new technologies and services in vertical industries and fields."

In mid - 2023, GSMA released a new eSIM IoT specification, SGP.32. This specification cleared the obstacles for the large - scale deployment of eSIM in the IoT field and was a key step in boosting the prosperity of the entire eSIM ecosystem.

At the end of July 2023, Qualcomm, China Unicom, and GSMA jointly released the "5G + eSIM Computing Terminal Industry Cooperation Plan". The first batch of manufacturers to join the plan included Huawei, Honor, OPPO, VIVO, Lenovo, ZTE, Ascend, Xintian Technology, Quectel, Fibocom, Inspur Communications, and New H3C.

Just when everyone thought that eSIM was about to be fully popularized, the three major carriers successively issued announcements in 2023, citing business maintenance and upgrade as reasons, and announced the suspension of accepting applications for the "one - number, two - terminal" eSIM watch service and independent eSIM card applications.

Suspension announcements of the three major carriers

Then, there was a two - year period of silence, and the development of eSIM came to a standstill.

Why was eSIM suspended, and why is it being restarted?

This wave of eSIM restart originated from a piece of news on Sina Technology on June 18:

Sina Technology reported that the three major carriers would fully liberalize eSIM services in the second half of this year.

June 18 was exactly the opening day of MWCS (Mobile World Congress Shanghai). At MWCS, the carriers indeed made high - profile releases of eSIM products.

China Unicom, in cooperation with ZTE and Lenovo, released a Pad product supporting eSIM.

For a while, the whole network began to have heated discussions, believing that eSIM was making a comeback and would completely replace traditional SIM cards.

So, why was eSIM suspended in 2023, and why is it being restarted this year?

Let's take a look one by one.

First, let's see why it was suspended in 2023.

We introduced the advantages of eSIM earlier. You'll find that these advantages are all for mobile phone manufacturers and users. For carriers, eSIM is a double - edged sword.

First of all, eSIM is indeed beneficial to carriers. The delivery of eSIM cards saves carriers the costs involved in the physical delivery of traditional SIM cards, such as card production, packaging, logistics, and warehousing.

With eSIM, the volume of offline business handled by carriers will be significantly reduced. The workload of business halls will decrease, and their value will also weaken. Carriers may reduce the number of business halls, which is conducive to cost reduction.