New generations of smartphones, accompanied by rapid growth in the telecoms market, have led to the emergence of new technologies aimed at optimising costs for users and telephone operators. One innovation among many that deserves particular attention is the electronic SIM card, or eSIM.
What is an eSIM?
The eSIM, or “Embedded Subscriber Identity Module”, is an electronic chip soldered directly onto the motherboard of a smartphone or other compatible device.
What are the benefits of the eSIM?
As well as being smaller and more durable than a traditional SIM card, it also offers a number of other benefits:
- Improved power and capacity:
- it can hold more information;
- connection and data exchanges are made easier.
- Easy to use:
- no need to handle the SIM card when changing operator or plan;
- easy to recover the line in the event that a device is lost or damaged and needs changing.
- Flexibility:
- it meets your needs, such as travelling abroad, without having to change your main plan.
How can the eSIM help to reduce costs?
The eSIM offers considerable benefits when it comes to reducing mobile expenses. By its very nature, it offers savings on several levels:
- Charges for physical SIM cards:
- production costs;
- shipping and stock management costs for operators;
- environmental costs (less plastic, less waste).
- Wider choice of operators:
- an eSIM makes it easy to change operators, so you can easily join us today,
- it’s also easy to change your plan abroad, thus reducing roaming charges.
- You can combine different plans to suit your needs.
How do I activate the eSIM on my smartphone?
The process to activate an eSIM varies depending on the device and the telephone operator, but the general steps are similar:
- Ask your telephone operator about compatibility with your smartphone (or see our list here) and eSIM availability;
- Provide the necessary information to your operator so that they can generate a QR code or a unique key number;
- Scan the QR code or enter the activation key in the network settings of the compatible device, which will allow access to the chosen plan.
Please note that some additional charges may apply to activate an eSIM. It is therefore advisable to check beforehand whether these charges apply to your situation.
Why do some operators not yet offer an eSIM?
Although the eSIM offers many benefits for both users and operators, some providers may be slow to offer this technology to their customers, for a variety of reasons:
- Recency: the eSIM is a relatively new feature, and may not be part of the development and innovation plans of some operators;
- Compatibility: eSIM-compatible devices are still in the minority on the market, although their numbers are increasing rapidly;
