Telefónica Tech has teamed up with Thales to launch an eSIM solution built around the GSMA’s SGP.32 standard, giving enterprises a way to use a single eSIM with profiles from multiple mobile operators.

The proposition sounds simple, but it addresses one of the most persistent problems in global IoT: connectivity decisions are often made long before a device reaches its final market. A manufacturer may ship the same meter, tracker or industrial gateway to several countries, only to discover that each destination brings different network, commercial or regulatory requirements.

With SGP.32, an appropriate operator profile can be downloaded and managed remotely rather than tied permanently to the connectivity selected during production. The GSMA published SGP.32 version 1.3 in May 2026, showing that the technical framework is still evolving as commercial adoption gathers pace.

Kite becomes the control layer

The new Thales capability is being integrated directly into Kite, Telefónica’s managed IoT connectivity platform. From the same environment, customers will be able to select the active operator for a particular geography, manage subscriptions and view connectivity across international deployments.

Crucially, Kite is designed to bring together profiles from Telefónica companies and third-party operators. Telefónica is therefore positioning itself as more than the network supplier. It wants to become the orchestration layer sitting between the enterprise, its connected devices and a wider pool of mobile networks.

READ MORE: Eseye Integrates SGP.32 to Scale Global IoT Connectivity

That distinction matters. Multi-operator eSIM is useful, but it can quickly recreate the complexity it was supposed to remove if every operator requires a separate integration, portal and operating process. Telefónica says Thales’ remote profile-management technology removes the need for prior integrations between participating operators, while Kite consolidates the resulting information and controls.

Juan José González Menaya, Head of IoT Connectivity at Telefónica Tech, said:

“At Telefónica, in line with our purpose of becoming the best gateway to digital technologies, we continue to evolve our connectivity portfolio with the most innovative services on the market. With this new eSIM solution, we are strengthening our commitment to offering advanced, global and flexible connectivity that can adapt to the challenges of an increasingly demanding IoT market.

“Customers will be able to manage their operations with complete autonomy, without the need for specialist resources, and with the assurance that all orchestration capabilities are fully integrated into our systems.”

Flexibility without field visits

For large device fleets, the practical benefit is not merely changing an operator from a dashboard. It is the ability to make that change without replacing SIMs, recalling equipment or sending technicians into the field.

That can shorten international launches and give enterprises more room to respond when coverage, pricing, regulation or commercial strategy changes. It also supports the “single-SKU” model increasingly discussed in automotive and industrial IoT: manufacture one device configuration, then assign connectivity later according to its destination.

Eva Rudin, Executive Vice President of Mobile Connectivity Solutions at Thales, said:

“We are proud to support Telefónica in driving the next phase of secure IoT adoption worldwide. By combining our cybersecurity expertise and leadership in eSIM with Telefónica’s strong IoT ecosystem, we enable companies to deploy and manage connected devices with confidence, at scale, and in full compliance with international standards.”

The offer will be most relevant to companies operating sizeable, long-lived fleets across several markets. A business connecting a small number of devices in one country may find a conventional IoT SIM or single-provider managed service perfectly adequate. More importantly, existing devices built around older eSIM architectures cannot automatically gain SGP.32 capabilities; hardware compatibility and migration planning still matter.

A market moving beyond closed connectivity

Telefónica and Thales are not entering an empty field. IDEMIA launched an end-to-end GSMA-certified SGP.32 solution in 2025, while Giesecke+Devrient is supporting SGP.32-based automotive deployments with Rivian and AT&T. Cloud-native IoT providers such as emnify are also promoting third-party profile support, API-based switching and automated fallback as part of their SGP.32 strategies.

READ  MORE: eSIM Standards Explained: How SGP.32 Changes Travel Connectivity

This is where Telefónica’s execution will be tested. The announcement does not yet spell out commercial pricing, the number of immediately available third-party profiles, device eligibility, fallback automation or the migration route for current Kite customers. Those details will determine whether the platform delivers genuine provider flexibility or mainly a smoother way to manage a curated connectivity ecosystem.

The real contest is orchestration

SGP.32 is steadily shifting the IoT connectivity market away from selling a SIM and a roaming footprint toward controlling the full profile lifecycle. In that market, operator coverage remains important, but the more valuable layer may be the software deciding which profile is used, when it changes and how that decision is governed.

Telefónica has a credible advantage because Kite already gives it an established enterprise management environment, while Thales brings secure eSIM infrastructure. Yet competitors including IDEMIA, G+D, Kigen and emnify are approaching the same opportunity from different directions: certified end-to-end systems, automotive-grade deployments, independent eSIM management and cloud-native connectivity.

The winner will not simply support SGP.32. It will make multi-operator choice operationally boring: easy to integrate, transparent to price, safe to automate and genuinely open to third-party profiles. Telefónica’s launch is an important step toward that model. The next proof point will come when enterprises can see exactly how much freedom the orchestration layer gives them in practice.