End of the SIM card?
Recently, the GSMA released the latest eSIM specification, making it easier to provision devices with new credentials. Operators and device manufacturers now can get rid of the physical SIM card for good.
Thirty years ago, the arrival of the second generation of cellular networks, the European GSM, gave birth to the subscriber identity module (SIM) card. Initially, the size of a standard credit card, it had to be inserted in the first GSM phones from the side or the bottom of the device. However, it had the convenience of allowing easy swapping of cards from different carriers.
Fast forward to 2016, the GSMA announced the specifications for the embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) or embedded SIM module. An eSIM is a re-writable SIM embedded into a device’s hardware (hence the name). It cannot be removed.
Nowadays, most mobile network operators embrace the eSIM. It opens new business opportunities for IoT, as the number of connected devices increases exponentially. Furthermore, it solves one of the biggest logistical challenges: the SIM module’s delivery and installation.
Embedded SIMs were in use before the initial GSMA blessing. In 2009, Amazon was the first to include an embedded SIM in the first Kindle reader, and Apple followed suit in 2010, using a proprietary eSIM on the first iPad.
WILL THE TRADITIONAL SIM DISAPPEAR?
Probably not for some time. It would take several years for all cellular carriers to support the GSMA specifications, mainly because they require certified security facilities to manage the encryption keys. Additionally, most mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) do not support embedded SIMs and depend on delivering physical SIM modules to their customers.
However, the GSMA predicts that 35% of all smartphone network connections will be via eSIM-enabled phones by 2025.
