Du and the Munich-based Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security are teaming up in a deal that will soon see eSims commercially available for customers in the UAE, according to the telco’s CEO. du esim
“We will have that, we plan to introduce it by the end of this month,” Osman Sultan, CEO of Du, told Arabian Business in an exclusive interview.
E-sims, also known as embedded SIMS, are a key component of cellular-powered Internet of Things (IoT) networks, enabling devices to have out-of-the-box connectivity without having to purchase a SIM card separately.
“We believe that eSim will accelerate the growth of IoT and M2M (machine to machine communications) in the UAE by providing a single de facto standard for remote SIM provisioning,” he said.
Once available, du said that its customers will be able to have a more “simplified user experience and benefit from eSIM services, such as short term time required to connect a device to the du network.
Other benefits of eSims also include connecting to various IoT implementations, and cost reduction for logistics and handling of legacy SIM cards.
Etisalat already supports eSIM for the Apple Watch. The telecom operator was not available for comments when asked about the eSIM support for the iPhone, but an industry expert said that both operators will support the facility by the month’s end.
There are talks in the industry that handset providers will have more control over a customer with eSIM than a telecom operator, as the SIM is the one that binds a telecom operator with a customer.
The SIM card on a phone allows a mobile operator to identify and authenticate a consumer, which in turn gives the consumer access to the mobile network to for calls and data.
