Dear SIM Tray, Goodbye!
For decades, the traditional SIM card has been a key enabler of mobile connectivity, but its reign is coming to an end because eSIM technology is making it possible for MNOs to onboard new customers more conveniently than ever before by offering several eSIM activation methods. sim tray
According to Counterpoint, eSIM devices will grow to 6 billion by 2025 from 1 billion in 2020, with eSIM-only devices like the iPhone 14 or the Microsoft Surface Pro paving the way for an era of out-of-the-box connectivity.
“The number of new cellular-connected devices isn’t just increasing—it’s growing at an exponential rate across the globe, mobile network operators will quickly need to manage a new range of devices across their subscriber base.”, said Robert Varty, CSO.
With the removal of the traditional SIM from devices, the embedded SIM brings a host of digital marketing and distribution opportunities for the network operator who is relieved of heavy time, resource and cost consuming activities involved in the management of the physical SIM card such as manufacturing, distribution and even retail.
Apple’s “Far Out” event on 7th September unveiled some truly jaw-dropping new products and features, from the drool-worthy titanium Apple Watch Ultra to the life-saving Emergency SOS via Satellite feature. But sometimes Apple’s devices make more of an impact for what they lack than what they contain, and the newly announced iPhone 14 is a perfect example.
Anyone with even a passing interest in tech, gadgets or phones will by now have heard of Apple’s decision to make the iPhone 14 eSIM-only. And make no mistake…the decision is nothing short of seismic.
It’s a matter of time before eSIM-only phones become the new normal sim tray
Ditching the SIM tray will have an enormous impact on mobile comms as we know it, and while the change only affects models in the US for now, it’s only a matter of time before eSIM-only phones become the new normal because of Apple’s ability to shape the market through their unrivaled influence as industry leaders. It’s clear that other device manufacturers will inevitably follow suit and that mobile network providers around the world will have all the incentives they need to support eSIM (if they haven’t done so already).
This means that the move marks the beginning of the end for physical SIMs, and that – at last – the fiddly, wasteful little pieces of plastic will inevitably join the floppy disk, video cassette, DVD and CD on history’s pile of obsolete technology.
It’s a digital transformation that’s been a long time coming, just like that of the music, gaming and movie industries, and despite some apprehension on the part of some social media pundits, it’s not just great news for the mobile industry, but for consumers too. No SIM slot means that manufacturers can claim back precious internal real-estate on their devices – space that can be used to add even more cool new features while simultaneously making devices more dust and water-resistant.
And eSIM offers better customer experiences, making it incredibly easy to swap profiles with a simple download instead of having to trek to a store, and giving users the ability to have more than one SIM identity per phone, whether they’re for work, home or travel.
And last (but certainly not least), the move away from physical SIM cards means there’ll be no more need to produce, package and ship billions of bits of plastic all over the world and no more need for the 20,000 tonnes of plastic waste they produce each year. eSIM is a more sustainable solution, precisely when we need sustainable solutions the most.
The fact is that eSIM gives consumers and their devices more choice, more flexibility and more freedom. sim tray
