eSIMs, or embedded SIMs, offer huge flexibility over traditional physical subscriber identity module (SIM) cards. Subscribers love the idea of being able to switch their wireless carrier, data, or service plan through software without having to push in or pull out small bots of plastic and circuitry, as they used to.
The fact that you can’t lose or damage your SIM is also prized as a benefit by many consumers—as is the fact that their devices are much more secure, as thieves can’t stop a phone being tracked so easily with an eSIM.
A growing eSIM ecosystem
But it’s not just the public that’s getting more interested in the eSIM: corporates are too. New Jaguar Land Rover ‘Defenders’ come with dual-modem, dual eSIM capability to stream music and apps through an in-car infotainment system. Many applications of eSIM-enabled connectivity in the context of IoT (the Internet of Things) are also emerging, like wearable health monitors and remote diagnostics in smart manufacturing.
Driven by such factors, the global eSIM market hit $4.7 billion dollars in 2023, and is expected to grow to $16.3 billion as soon as 2027. Clearly, spinning up an eSIM business could be very profitable.
But operators, MNOs and MVNOs, and even enterprises wanting to take advantage of eSIM for applications in connected cars, drones, and smartwatches will need help getting an eSIM proposition up and running.
A full set of complex eSIM business set-up puzzles
That’s because of the need to be able to answer a wide range of questions, like:
- Optimal Segmentation Can we customise our eSIM profiles for consumer, enterprise, and/or IoT?
- Informed Market Research and Strategy Do we understand the demand for eSIM services in our target market, and do have we defined our business goals, pricing strategy, and competitive positioning correctly and with full visibility of how others succeed or fail in this area?
- Water-tight Regulatory Compliance Are we fully up-to-date and compliant with all local and international regulations related to eSIM deployment in our chosen geography? Have we the right licenses and approvals?
- Full Network Infrastructure Readiness Does our network infrastructure supports eSIM technology and crucial functions we need to be able to offer like eSIM provisioning, activation, and management?
- Partnerships and Agreements: Do we have the right/most advantageous eSIM vendors, device manufacturers, and other MNOs service and collaboration agreements—particularly if we want to strike the best roaming agreements to expand our proposed eSIM coverage globally?
- eSIM Profile Creation Have we the ability to quickly develop eSIM profiles fully compatible with the kind of smartphones, tablets, wearables we want to provision for?
- Back-End Functionality Can we connect to the Subscription Manager Data Preparation (SM-DP+) and Subscription Manager Secure Routing (SM-SR) platforms that we will need to handle eSIM profile management and secure data exchange?
- Customer Onboarding and Activation How easily is it for us to create user-friendly activation processes via mobile apps, websites, or USSD codes—and do we have the right marketing and communications ready to then educate our new or potential customers on eSIM benefits and guide them through activation?
- Customer Training Have we the capability to develop effective marketing campaigns that will promote eSIM adoption, and do we have the in-house support to provide 24x7 customer assistance for eSIM-related queries and troubleshooting.
- Are We Secure? Do we have robust security protocols to protect eSIM profiles and user data, and will we be able to encrypt communication channels and authenticate users during activation?
- A High-Quality Solution Do we have the test harnesses and scalability to thoroughly test eSIM functionality across different devices and networks?
- Seamless Onboarding Can we verify seamless switching between physical SIMs and eSIMs?
Take advantage of SNS’s eSIM expert help and world-class enablement services
Clearly, successful eSIM deployment requires a holistic approach, deep technical expertise, and a customer-centric mindset.
Luckily, SNS has extensive experience in helping organisations like yours clear all these hurdles.
SNS eliminates the complexity of launching eSIM services for you and your customers, with easy on-boarding and activation.
Fully compliant with GSMA requirements, our eSIM enablement services allow you to easily deliver profiles to IoT and personal mobile devices for your customers.
So, look to SNS’s eSIM enablement services to turn your idea of a new eSIM profit centre into a reality.
Go here to find out more or contact us to learn how we can help your organisation.
