Rakuten Viber is expanding its travel eSIM service, making international mobile data available directly inside the Viber app in more markets. Travellers can browse, buy, install and manage data plans without downloading a separate eSIM app or dealing with a physical SIM on arrival.

The latest rollout in the Philippines is part of Viber’s broader push into embedded connectivity rather than a standalone market launch. The service is powered by Rakuten Mobile’s AI-enabled, cloud-native eSIM platform, allowing Viber to add mobile data to its growing super-app ecosystem while keeping the entire customer journey inside an app users already know.

That matters. Travel eSIM is becoming less about who has another storefront full of data packages and more about who controls the moment when the traveller actually needs connectivity.

Connectivity inside Viber

For Viber, the logic is straightforward. Messaging, calls, payments and other digital services all depend on the user already having internet access. By selling that access itself, Viber moves one layer deeper into the customer journey.

Viber’s support documentation says users can buy digital data plans for more than 150 countries directly through the app. The service is prepaid and data-only, and requires an unlocked, eSIM-compatible phone plus an internet connection for the initial purchase and setup.

The purchase flow stays largely inside an environment Viber users already know:

1. Open Viber and go to More, then eSIM.
2. Choose the country you are travelling to and select a data package.
3. Pay in-app using the methods available in your market, including Apple Pay or Google Pay, credit or debit card, or Link.
4. Install the eSIM using the activation details provided.
5. Connect abroad. The plan activates automatically when the device connects to a supported local network.

Viber says an eSIM must be activated within 90 days of purchase. Users can monitor package history and remaining data inside the app. Android users can currently add more data to an existing country eSIM without reinstalling it; Viber says this top-up function is not yet available on iOS.

That is a useful reminder that “seamless” eSIM still has edges. Installation is easier than buying a physical SIM, but device compatibility, carrier locks and operating-system differences have not disappeared.

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More than a travel add-on

Viber presents the launch as part of its broader super-app strategy. It already combines messaging with services such as Viber Out, Business Accounts, Viber Pay and Viber Dating. Travel connectivity fits naturally because it supports the core communication product rather than sitting beside it as an unrelated extra.

Nadav Melnick, CPO at Rakuten Viber, commented on the launch:

“Bringing eSIM to Viber is a major milestone. It highlights the power of the Rakuten Ecosystem and our commitment to building a true super app. We’ve already integrated services such as Business Accounts, Viber Dating, and Viber Pay, and eSIM expands that momentum with a new connectivity option. This launch reinforces Viber as a single platform that supports a wide range of user needs. We’re evolving from a messaging app into an everyday utility, making international travel simpler and more affordable. With Rakuten Mobile, users can access Viber internationally and stay reliably connected across borders.”

The interesting part is not simply that Viber now sells data. It is that connectivity is being placed inside an app that already has a reason to be on the traveller’s phone.

Juniper Research estimates global travel eSIM revenue at $1.8 billion in 2025 and forecasts $8.7 billion by 2030, a 380% increase. Its research also flags limited distribution channels and declining margins on mobile data as challenges facing the sector.

In other words, the next competitive battle may be fought as much over distribution as over data pricing.

Rakuten Mobile behind the interface

The second half of the story sits behind the Viber interface.

Rakuten Mobile provides the eSIM platform and connectivity capabilities, allowing Viber to package telecom services inside its own customer experience. It is the same model attracting travel platforms, fintech apps and other digital brands: keep the customer relationship while an eSIM enabler handles much of the telecom complexity underneath.

Tarek Zeid, SVP International Wholesale Business at Rakuten Mobile, Inc., said:

“We are proud to partner with Rakuten Viber in advancing its leading super app vision. By leveraging Rakuten Mobile’s eSIM platform and our role as a mobile network operator, we are enabling Rakuten Viber to seamlessly embed travel eSIM and global connectivity into its ecosystem. With cost-effective, internationally available connectivity, we are removing barriers and ensuring that staying connected while traveling is no longer a luxury, but an affordable and seamless convenience for everyone.”

Rakuten is not alone in seeing the opportunity. Revolut sells travel data plans directly inside its financial app through connectivity partners, while Firsty’s integration with Uber has expanded to more than 30 countries and 500 airports. Different products, same strategic direction: connectivity is moving closer to the point of travel rather than waiting for travellers to search for it separately.

Where Viber can go further

The proposition is strongest for existing Viber users who want simple mobile data and already rely on internet-based messaging and calling.

It is less useful for travellers who need a local phone number, incoming SMS or traditional mobile voice. Viber’s eSIM is data-only, although Viber Out can cover many international calling needs over data.

There is also room for a more flexible multi-country experience. Viber’s current support guidance says that travelling to a new country requires purchasing and installing a separate eSIM for that destination. Frequent multi-country travellers may therefore prefer providers offering regional or global plans under one eSIM profile.

Pricing will matter too. Convenience is valuable, but users can now compare gigabytes, validity and network access quickly. Being inside Viber removes discovery friction; it does not remove price competition.

Conclusion

Viber’s eSIM launch is more significant as a distribution story than as another travel-data product.

Standalone travel eSIM apps proved that travellers would buy connectivity outside their home operator. The next phase is about removing even the need to visit a specialist eSIM app. Revolut can sell data because travellers already manage money there. Uber can surface connectivity around the airport journey. Viber can offer it because communication itself stops working when the user loses internet access.

Rakuten’s position is strategically interesting because it combines a consumer platform with an established audience and mobile infrastructure capable of powering the service behind it. Few companies entering embedded travel connectivity control both ends of that equation.

The challenge is execution: competitive pricing, broader plan structures, smoother iOS top-ups and fewer country-by-country installation steps would make the proposition stronger.

But the direction is clear. Travel eSIM is becoming an embedded utility, and the companies with the best distribution may ultimately matter as much as those with the best data packages.