Jetpac is making a fairly simple argument about the next stage of the travel eSIM market: cheaper data is no longer enough. The timing makes sense.

GSMA Intelligence puts global eSIM smartphone penetration at 5% at the end of 2025 and expects it to reach 10% by the end of 2026, before doubling again in 2027. The GSMA also expects eSIM smartphone connections to outnumber traditional removable-SIM connections by 2030.

That changes the competitive question. As eSIM moves from something used mainly by tech-confident travelers into a more familiar mainstream option, providers have to solve a less glamorous problem: uncertainty. Can I install it now? Will it work when I land? Which line should data roaming be enabled on? What happens when the package runs out?

“The eSIM category is growing quickly, but mainstream adoption will depend on simplicity,” said Vineet Singh, Business Head at Jetpac.

“Travelers do not want to deal with complex setup steps before every trip. They want to know that they can install connectivity before departure, land connected, and continue using the apps they rely on. The next battle in travel eSIMs is not only price. It is confidence.”

From product to travel utility

Jetpac’s answer is to make the eSIM feel less like a disposable travel purchase and more like something that stays on the phone.

The company says users can install one Jetpac eSIM and reuse it across future trips by buying another data pack rather than downloading a new profile each time. Its current service covers more than 200 destinations and includes multi-network connectivity, hotspot sharing, voice packs and continued access to selected essential apps — WhatsApp, Google Maps, Uber and Grab — after the main data allowance is exhausted.

READ MORE: Travel eSIM Becomes Default Choice: Industry Eyes $25B Opportunity

That last feature is more useful than it initially sounds. Losing data at the beach is irritating. Losing it outside an airport while trying to locate a driver, retrieve a booking or message a hotel is a different problem entirely. Limited fallback connectivity is increasingly becoming a product feature rather than an emergency workaround.

There is one detail worth making clearer because it matters to less experienced users. Jetpac can be installed before departure, but its own instructions say the travel plan activates when the eSIM connects to an eligible network at the destination. “Install before you fly” and “activate before you fly” are not quite the same thing. The industry still has work to do on that language.

Convenience is becoming the differentiator

Jetpac is not alone in moving beyond the basic “buy data, scan QR code, travel” model.

Airalo, for example, allows compatible eSIMs to be reused and topped up, although reuse depends on whether a particular eSIM supports top-ups and whether the next destination is covered. Holafly has pushed strongly in another direction, using unlimited-data plans and its Always On feature, which provides a recurring 1GB backup allowance if the eSIM remains installed. Its standard travel plans currently allow hotspot sharing up to a daily limit, while Jetpac promotes unrestricted hotspot sharing.

So Jetpac’s reusable eSIM is not, by itself, the differentiator. The more interesting proposition is the combination: reuse, multi-network connectivity, app fallback after data expiry, unrestricted tethering and optional voice packs.

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That bundle will appeal to travelers who care more about removing small points of friction than shaving the final euro from a data plan. It is less compelling for someone whose phone is locked or does not support eSIM, and it will not fully replace a traditional mobile line for travelers who need conventional SMS. Jetpac supports outgoing voice packs, but traditional SMS is not included.

“Travel connectivity should not feel like another problem to solve when people are already managing flights, hotels, transfers, maps, and plans,” added Singh.

“Our goal is to make the eSIM experience feel more practical for real travelers: install it once, reuse it across trips, and stay connected enough to keep the journey moving.”

The real mainstream test

Travel eSIM providers spent their first growth phase proving they could undercut roaming and remove the physical SIM-card hunt. The next phase looks harder because the benchmark is no longer simply price. It is whether connectivity becomes almost invisible.

READ MORE: The Most Traveler-Friendly eSIM Yet? Jetpac Adds WhatsApp, Google Maps, Uber & VPN Free

That is where Jetpac’s positioning is interesting. Airalo is pushing rechargeable and reusable eSIMs where supported; Holafly is leaning into unlimited data and persistent backup connectivity; Jetpac is trying to own a slightly different territory: continuity when something goes wrong.

Final thoughts

That may prove more important than another round of price cuts. GSMA’s adoption forecast suggests the addressable market is expanding quickly, but mainstream users are less tolerant of setup ambiguity than early adopters. The winners will probably be the providers that make installation, activation, top-ups and recovery feel boringly predictable.

Jetpac has several pieces of that experience already. The opportunity now is to explain them with the same simplicity it is promising. In a crowded eSIM market, “it still works when you need it” could become a stronger selling point than “it costs a little less.”