The highly anticipated new Samsung smart watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch, was unveiled on August 9 at an event in New York. It is the first smart device in Telia Finland ’s network that has an eSIM feature and connects to the network without a traditional physical SIM card. telia finland esim

Embedded SIM, eSIM, makes life easier for the user: a subscription can be purchased without needing to get a physical SIM card. As eSIM-fitted devices don’t need the proximity of a smartphone to operate, you can leave your smartphone behind and for example go jogging with the new watch and still make calls, reply to messages, receive notifications, and more.

”Services go digital, and similarly the future of the SIM card is digital. We want to be in the front line and introduce more smooth service to our customers now that eSIM devices are getting more and more common. Managing your subscriptions will be easier with eSIM, when an increasing number of smart devices around us need an internet connection,”

says Jussi Vuorinen, head of device business at Telia Finland.

The embedded SIM has many advantages. The device can be designed without a SIM card slot, which makes it easier to design especially small devices.

Understandably, smartwatches have been the first device category to utilize eSIM, and it is important for the growth of IoT.. eSIM will also help to diminish the environmental effects of manufacturing, packaging and distributing plastic SIM cards as the technology is gradually implemented also in tablets and smartphones.

From smartwatch novelty to everyday prepaid eSIM

What makes Telia Finland’s eSIM story more interesting today is how far the technology has moved beyond the first smartwatch use case. When the Samsung Galaxy Watch arrived on Telia’s network, eSIM was still mostly presented as a premium feature for connected wearables. Now, the same idea is becoming part of everyday mobile use.

Telia Finland also offers a prepaid eSIM, giving customers a more flexible way to get connected without waiting for a physical SIM card. The prepaid eSIM works on eSIM-supported devices, is ready to use immediately, and starts from €9.90. Customers can choose a package, top up their balance, and pay only for what they use. Telia also promotes a €5 bonus on the first top-up, making the offer more attractive for users who want to try eSIM without committing to a full postpaid contract.

This is an important shift. eSIM is no longer only about smartwatches, early adopters, or high-end devices. It is becoming a practical option for people who want quick activation, less plastic, and more control over their mobile spending. The fact that Telia’s prepaid eSIM can also be converted into a postpaid subscription shows how operators are starting to treat eSIM as a flexible customer journey, not just a technical feature.

For travelers, the prepaid angle is also relevant. Telia says the prepaid subscription can be used at domestic rates in the Nordics and Baltics, as well as selected EU/EEA countries. That makes it useful not only for local Finnish users, but also for people who move frequently across the region and want a simple, operator-backed mobile option.

Telia was the first operator in the Nordics and Baltics to introduce eSIM support in Norway and Estonia in 2016. Telia’s eSIM platform is GSMA standard compliant, which means other eSIM devices coming to the market can also be connected to Telia’s network.

Today, that early move looks less like a technical experiment and more like the beginning of a broader transition. From connected watches to prepaid mobile plans, eSIM is becoming part of the normal telecom experience. For operators, it reduces friction. For customers, it removes waiting, postage, plastic cards, and unnecessary complexity. And for the wider mobile market, it confirms one thing clearly: the SIM card is not disappearing overnight, but its most useful version is increasingly digital.