Telecom operators have collectively launched eSIM mobile phone services. After the iPhone Air is launched next week, Huawei, OPPO, and vivo will follow up.

The eSIM mobile phone service has finally arrived!

Last night (October 13), the three telecom operators unexpectedly announced that they had obtained the approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the commercial trial of eSIM mobile phones.

Also on the evening of October 13, Apple officially announced that users in the Chinese mainland can pre - order the iPhone Air starting at 9 a.m. on October 17 and it will be officially on sale starting from October 22.

On October 14, a reporter from IT Times visited the business halls of the three telecom operators. The staff said that users can make reservations now. After the release of the Apple iPhone Air, users can bring their phones to the business hall to handle the eSIM mobile phone service.

Collective Announcement: The Dust Has Settled

On September 10, Apple launched the lightweight iPhone Air at its autumn press conference. It is uniformly designed to support only eSIM globally and can activate two eSIMs without a physical SIM card slot. Apple's official website in China at that time stated that China Unicom was the only supported operator for iPhone eSIM.

However, on September 12, the day when the iPhone 17 series was pre - sold, the iPhone Air was absent. On the same day, Apple's official website in China updated the news, saying: "China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom will provide eSIM support for this product (iPhone Air). The specific time depends on the approval of the regulatory authorities."

At that time, China Mobile and China Telecom replied to questions on the investor interaction platform, saying: "The eSIM mobile phone service is fully ready. After obtaining the official approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the commercial trial, eSIM will be opened to users."

One month later, "the dust has finally settled."

China Telecom announced last night (October 13): "China Telecom obtained the approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology for the commercial trial of eSIM mobile phones on October 13, 2025. The eSIM mobile phone service is officially on sale in 31 provinces and municipalities in China."

Both China Mobile and China Unicom said they have officially obtained the approval to carry out the commercial trial of eSIM mobile phone operation services.

The operators also said that they will cooperate with industrial chain partners to build an open, collaborative, and win - win eSIM industrial open ecosystem, and jointly promote the innovation of terminal forms, the reconstruction of service models, and the upgrading of the industrial ecosystem in the communication industry.

Everything Is Ready, Just Waiting for the iPhone Air

Currently, the three operators only accept reservations for the eSIM mobile phone service for the iPhone Air. That is to say, although the three operators are well - prepared, users still need to get the iPhone Air to actually experience the eSIM service.

At a China Mobile business hall on Sichuan North Road in Shanghai, the staff introduced: "Users need to get the iPhone Air to handle the eSIM mobile phone service. Users can apply for a new number or use their original number. Under normal use, the physical SIM card can retain the original number through card replacement and be used on the new eSIM mobile phone." The staff also said that no one has handled this service yet.

At a China Unicom business hall, the staff said: "Users need to make an online reservation first. The eSIM mobile phone service cannot be handled now. We haven't received the official notice yet." The staff introduced that users can currently handle smart watches or tablets that support independent eSIM numbers at China Unicom. The monthly rent for the eSIM watch package is 10 yuan or 20 yuan, which includes corresponding domestic voice call minutes and domestic data.

A relevant person from Shanghai Telecom introduced that under the unified organization of China Telecom Group, Shanghai Telecom has currently completed all eSIM testing work to ensure the stability and reliability of the eSIM function in various usage scenarios. It is reported that all telecom business halls in Shanghai are now ready to ensure that users can conveniently handle the eSIM card service.

The person said that Shanghai Telecom currently has the ability to handle eSIM services. After the eSIM mobile phones are on sale, the eSIM mobile phone service will be available at offline business halls. Users can apply for a new eSIM card at the business hall on the spot or convert their original physical SIM card into an eSIM card.

Judging from the currently announced information, users need to go to the offline business halls of the operators to handle the eSIM service. Online handling methods are not available for the time being.

There is no doubt that the iPhone Air has won the "crown" for the first domestic commercial launch of eSIM mobile phones. However, eSIM mobile phones from domestic manufacturers such as Huawei, OPPO, and vivo will also be released one after another, and users will have more choices in the future.

Tips: Getting to Know eSIM

Q: What are the advantages of eSIM cards?

A: eSIM cards are a digital SIM card technology. eSIM mobile phones use electronic card data files to replace physical cards. Users can activate and use mobile phone communication network services without inserting a physical card.

Compared with mobile phones that support physical SIM cards, eSIM mobile phones support free switching between multiple cards. After eliminating the physical SIM card, the mobile phone can become thinner and lighter, with more internal space, making room for components such as the battery and camera. At the same time, the waterproof performance of the mobile phone will also be significantly improved.

Q: What functions does the eSIM mobile phone service provide?

A: The business functions of eSIM mobile phones are the same as those of mobile phones using physical SIM cards, providing basic services such as Internet access, voice calls, and text messages. International roaming and other services can be activated as needed.

The business handling instructions of the operators show that a single eSIM mobile phone can activate a maximum of two eSIM numbers from domestic operators. When there are already two numbers in the same mobile phone, this mobile phone will not be allowed to handle another eSIM number. Users can switch between numbers on the eSIM mobile phone interface.

Photos /  Apple  China Telecom

This article is from the WeChat public account "IT Times" (ID: vittimes). Author: Qian Lifu. Republished by 36Kr with permission.