The telecom industry is quietly undergoing a structural shift. eSIM infrastructure, once tightly tied to mobile operator systems, is increasingly moving into the cloud.

Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), one of the world’s largest providers of eSIM technology, has announced an expanded collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) aimed at building cloud-native eSIM platforms designed for global scale.

The partnership reflects a broader transformation happening across telecom: connectivity management is gradually becoming a cloud service rather than a purely operator-managed function.

By combining G+D’s eSIM technology with AWS’s global cloud infrastructure, the companies aim to make eSIM deployments more scalable, flexible, and easier to integrate across industries ranging from consumer smartphones to IoT fleets and connected vehicles.

The rapid growth of the eSIM market

The timing of this collaboration is not accidental. The global eSIM market is expanding rapidly as device manufacturers and enterprises increasingly adopt embedded connectivity.

According to Juniper Research, the global eSIM market is expected to grow from $4.7 billion in 2023 to $16.3 billion by 2027.

Several trends are accelerating that growth:

• Smartphone manufacturers are gradually moving toward eSIM-only devices in multiple markets
• Enterprises are deploying large fleets of connected IoT devices
• Automotive manufacturers are integrating embedded connectivity into vehicles
• Travel connectivity providers are offering global data access without physical SIM cards

As these deployments grow larger and more complex, the infrastructure required to manage them must scale accordingly.

That is where cloud-native eSIM platforms come into play.

From SIM provisioning to cloud-based connectivity management

G+D has been a key player in the evolution of eSIM technology since the early days of the standard.

The company rolled out its first eSIM solution in 2012 and has since enabled more than 500 million eSIM downloads under GSMA specifications.

These specifications include several important standards used across the industry:

• SGP.22 – consumer eSIM profile management used in smartphones and tablets
• SGP.32 – IoT eSIM architecture designed for industrial deployments
• SGP.41 and SGP.42 – emerging specifications that enable in-factory provisioning of eSIM profiles

Together, these standards define how eSIM profiles are securely downloaded, activated, and managed remotely across connected devices.

As deployments grow into millions of devices, the infrastructure required to support them becomes increasingly complex. Moving eSIM platforms to cloud environments allows operators and enterprises to scale these systems much more efficiently.

How AWS fits into the picture

Under the expanded collaboration, G+D will use AWS cloud infrastructure to support several components of its eSIM ecosystem.

This includes:

• the SGP.32 IoT eSIM management platform
• G+D’s IoT Suite, which helps enterprises manage large fleets of connected devices
• the AirOn360 entitlement service, used to activate eSIM-enabled devices

Running these services on AWS infrastructure allows G+D to deliver global connectivity management with high availability and scalability.

AWS also provides security capabilities designed to protect sensitive eSIM operations and data.

Another important aspect of the collaboration is support for sovereign deployment models. Using AWS sovereignty controls, G+D can deploy eSIM infrastructure in ways that comply with regional regulatory requirements, which is increasingly important for governments and large enterprises.

Why cloud-native eSIM platforms matter

The shift toward cloud-based eSIM infrastructure reflects a larger trend in telecom.

For decades, connectivity management systems were tightly integrated with mobile network operators’ internal infrastructure. Deploying or expanding these systems required significant investment and long deployment cycles.

Cloud-native platforms change that dynamic.

Instead of building and maintaining dedicated telecom infrastructure, operators and enterprises can deploy connectivity services using cloud-based platforms that scale on demand.

For industries deploying massive IoT fleets such as logistics, manufacturing, and automotive, this flexibility is crucial.

Cloud-based eSIM infrastructure can enable:

• faster device onboarding
• global connectivity management from a single platform
• simplified provisioning across multiple networks
• reduced operational complexity

This model is particularly important for enterprises operating across multiple regions and network providers.

The growing role of hyperscalers in telecom

The G+D–AWS partnership also highlights another major industry shift: the growing role of hyperscale cloud providers in telecom infrastructure.

Companies like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud are increasingly becoming foundational layers for telecom platforms.

Network operators are already using cloud environments for functions such as:

• core network virtualization
• network analytics and automation
• edge computing services
• connectivity management platforms

By moving eSIM infrastructure to cloud environments, telecom companies can accelerate innovation while relying on hyperscalers for global infrastructure and scalability.

Yasser Alsaied, Vice President of IoT at AWS, says the collaboration aims to support the growing demand for scalable eSIM services.

“G+D transforms mobile connectivity management through highly innovative eSIM solutions built on AWS. By leveraging the global reach and scalable architecture of AWS, G+D’s SGP.32 platform, IoT Suite and Entitlement Services can deliver eSIM profile management capabilities to mobile operators and enterprises worldwide.”

G+D’s vision for the connected future

For G+D, the collaboration is about more than infrastructure.

Philipp Schulte, CEO of G+D Mobile Security, says the combination of eSIM and cloud computing is reshaping how connectivity will be deployed in the future.

“With eSIM bringing IoT and consumer connectivity into a new era, we are ready to pioneer the connected future. Our work with AWS underlines our intention to continuously push boundaries and reimagine the way carriers, device vendors, and enterprise customers think about eSIM implementation.”

The companies plan to discuss the partnership further during the GSMA eSIM Summit at MWC Barcelona, where Schulte and AWS telecom executive Ajay Rane will deliver a keynote focused on maximizing the value of eSIM technology in IoT environments.

What this means for the eSIM ecosystem

The deeper collaboration between G+D and AWS reflects an important evolution in the connectivity landscape.

eSIM is no longer just a replacement for the traditional SIM card. It is becoming part of a much larger digital infrastructure that connects devices, enterprises, and networks across the world.

As eSIM adoption expands across smartphones, IoT deployments, and connected vehicles, the platforms managing these connections will need to operate at global scale.

Cloud-native infrastructure makes that possible.

At the same time, the increasing involvement of hyperscalers suggests the telecom industry is entering a new phase where connectivity services are built on top of global cloud platforms rather than traditional operator systems alone.

For the eSIM ecosystem, this shift could accelerate innovation, but it may also reshape the competitive landscape.

In the future, the companies that control connectivity infrastructure may not only be network operators or device manufacturers. Increasingly, they may also be the cloud platforms powering the digital backbone of global connectivity.