Five questions about eSIM phones: How to apply for it? How is it charged?

Recently, the three major telecom operators (China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom) have officially announced that they have obtained approval to conduct commercial trials of eSIM mobile phone operation services. Apple also announced that the iPhone Air (with built - in eSIM) will be available for sale in mainland China starting from October 22.

How to apply for eSIM mobile phone services? How much do they cost? Recently, Jwview visited multiple operator business halls in Beijing and authorized Apple stores, asking relevant questions as consumers. The following answers are compiled based on the responses of business hall staff and public information.

1. What is eSIM?

According to the official Apple website, eSIM is a digital SIM card that allows users to activate a cellular number provided by a network provider without using a physical nano - SIM card. When using eSIM, users don't need to obtain, carry, or swap physical SIM cards, nor do they need to wait for the eSIM to be delivered.

A staff member at a China Mobile business hall explained that eSIM is a virtual card. Through number writing (directly writing the number into the device to enable communication functions), the user's original physical SIM card number is embedded in the new terminal in a non - physical way.

2. Can the original physical mobile phone card still be used after activating eSIM?

The official Apple website states that to activate eSIM on the iPhone Air, users need to go to the offline business halls of telecom operators. A staff member at an authorized Apple store also said that Apple stores cannot handle eSIM - related services.

Both the staff at a China Mobile business hall and the customer service hotline of China Telecom stated that once the user's original physical SIM card number is written into the eSIM, the physical SIM card will no longer be usable. Therefore, if users still need to use their original physical SIM cards, they should apply to write a new number.

3. How can users apply for eSIM services?

According to the official WeChat accounts of China Telecom and China Mobile, users can go to business hall stores to activate eSIM mobile phone services. Staff at the business halls of both operators said that users can directly bring their ID cards and eSIM - supported terminal devices to the stores to handle the services without making an online reservation in advance.

A staff member at a China Mobile business hall said that since the iPhone Air model will be released on the 22nd, the business hall will officially start handling eSIM mobile phone services starting from the 22nd.

Staff at a China Unicom business hall said that applying for eSIM mobile phone services for the iPhone Air requires an online reservation, and the subsequent handling method will be subject to specific notifications. As of press time, the number of online reservations for China Unicom's eSIM has exceeded 180,000.

4. How much do eSIM mobile phone services cost?

Currently, there are no clear regulations on the fee standards for mobile eSIM services.

Staff at the business halls of the three major operators visited by Jwview all said that they have not handled eSIM mobile phone services yet. A staff member at a China Mobile business hall revealed that it is free for users to bring their terminals to the store to apply for mobile eSIM services on the 22nd. The customer service hotlines of China Telecom and China Unicom also said that there is no handling fee for this service.

It is understood that the eSIM services that can be handled at China Unicom business halls are currently divided into two types: one - number dual - terminal and independent number. One - number dual - terminal means associating devices such as smart watches with a mobile phone. The associated device can achieve the call function, which is equivalent to applying for a virtual secondary card for the main number. This service costs 10 yuan per month. In fact, the three major operators have previously offered this service, and the fee is 10 yuan per month, which can be handled online on the App.

The eSIM independent number service means that users apply for an independent virtual number that is not bound to the original mobile phone main number. A staff member at a China Unicom business hall introduced that the monthly fee for the eSIM independent number package for smart watches is 20 yuan, including 100 minutes of calls and 2G of data. The annual fee for the eSIM independent number package for tablets is 360 yuan. This package is similar to applying for a data card for a tablet.

5. Which devices support eSIM?

The official Apple website shows that the iPhone Air model A3518 supports eSIM application. A staff member at a China Mobile business hall specifically reminded that only the domestic version of this model can apply for eSIM.

A staff member at a China Unicom business hall said that users can first check whether their terminal devices have corresponding eSIM settings when applying for eSIM services.

Public information shows that China Telecom's previous eSIM services already supported multiple terminals such as smart watches and in - vehicle devices. This time, it has introduced eSIM services for mobile phones. China Mobile provides full - system eSIM product support, covering not only mobile phones, the core communication devices, but also extending to various forms such as smart watches, tablets, and in - vehicle devices. China Unicom started technology research and development in 2015, launched eSIM wearable services in China in 2018, and has successively obtained licenses for Internet of Things, notebook, and tablet - related businesses. It has cumulatively adapted 75 types of terminals.

This article is from the WeChat official account “Jwview” (ID: jwview), author: Xie Jingwen, published by 36Kr with authorization.