What is an eSIM card? Can it be used in China?

The eSIM card is a special SIM card that embeds the traditional SIM card directly into the device chip.

The eSIM card is not yet available in China, and is currently only available in a small number of regions.

Some introduction to eSIM cards:

The concept of the eSIM card is to embed the traditional SIM card directly into the device chip, rather than adding it to the device as a separate removable component, and the user does not need to insert a physical SIM card, just like PHS in the early years. This will give users more flexibility to choose their carrier**, or switch carriers at any time without having to unlock them or buy a new one. Of course, the ultimate goal of this concept is to establish a common eSIM standard in the industry, and to save more mobile device costs for ordinary consumers and business users, and bring more convenience and security.

eSIM card, i.e. Embedded-SIM, embedded SIM card. The concept of an eSIM card is to embed a traditional SIM card directly into the device chip, rather than being added to the device as a separate removable component, eliminating the need for the user to insert a physical SIM card.

Advantages of eSIM:

Convenience. Since there is no longer a need for a separate SIM card slot for the device, future eSIM design devices will have a lighter, thinner body, and consumers can switch carriers at any time due to cost and carrier benefits. For those who have multiple mobile numbers, the design of the eSIM card is more attractive because they no longer need multiple phones to switch, and enterprise users can also greatly reduce the cost of purchasing their own devices.

Cost. As consumers can switch carriers more easily, traditional billing methods and long-term contracts have begun to disappear from the market. There is even news that there is already a company working on an app that can help consumers automatically switch between carrier networks based on tariffs and network speeds.

Travel. Mobile device users no longer need to spend time choosing a destination carrier when traveling abroad in the future, because the eSIM settings can help users avoid sky-high data bills. For example, when a device detects that the user is in another country, its built-in eSIM will automatically switch to the carrier network.

This design is not only convenient for large enterprise users who often need to travel abroad and business trips, but also greatly reduces the cost of communication between themselves and the company.

Security. Since mobile phones no longer require physical SIM cards, it will no longer be necessary for hackers to find ways to hack stolen phones. For businesses, they can allow access to the corporate network through eSIM card authentication and remotely delete device data through Mobile Device Management Solutions in the event of loss of an employee's device.

More importantly, the popularity of eSIM cards will prompt mobile operators to pay more attention to their information and privacy data protection efforts, because consumers will be able to switch operators very easily in the future, so the latter will inevitably need to spend more effort on real-time information protection and privacy protection.

1. eSIM card: the abbreviation of embedded (embedded) SIM card, a physical card that supports card data remotely** (can be pluggable and embedded), and the operator data in the card exists in the form of an electronic card.

4. eSIM can be used in Chinese mainland (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan). If you need to use data outside of Chinese mainland, you need to enable Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan roaming and international roaming, and purchase data for the corresponding region or country**.

eSIM card: It is the abbreviation of embedded (embedded) SIM card, which is to issue SIM card data to customers in the form of electronic cards.

Since March 29, 2019, China Unicom has launched a commercial trial of ESIM wearable device standalone number service across the country (except Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) for a period of two years.

Note: 2. The independent number service of eSIM wearable products currently only supports Android device activation, and iOS customers can use any Android device to activate the service, and then pair it with an iOS mobile phone or go to China Unicom's offline business hall to open it.

An eSIM is an electronic SIM card (i.e., a virtual card), and the operator's SIM card data is issued in electronic form.

Taking China Unicom's eSIM service as an example, it is divided into independent number service and one-number dual-terminal service, both of which have been opened in Chinese mainland.

eSIM card, is a kind of SIM card, but does not belong to the physical memory card, and the traditional SIM card is different, smaller than the traditional SIM card, belongs to an embedded card, similar to the mobile phone card embedded, this eSIM card can be removed or replaced anytime and anywhere, but still need to be used on a suitable device, its full name is embedded-sim, which translates to electronic SIM card. At present, many cities in China have this kind of business, but most of them are in first-tier or second-tier cities, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Shanghai and other places. <>

All in all, the eSIM card is a data file, the function is actually the same as the SIM card, the same can store files, surf the Internet, send text messages, etc., now, China's three major operators have eSIM card related business, this embedded eSIM card is mainly for the Internet of Things professional services, can be connected to the Internet of Things terminal, to provide customers with better experience and service, this eSIM card is still developing rapidly in China, I believe that it will soon develop better and all over the world. <>

And why is this eSIM card a substitute for a mobile phone? The current eSIM card is only used in mobile devices such as smart watches, with the continuous development of eSIM card technology, mobile phones may become thin and light like smart watches, easy to carry, this eSIM card can be connected to the network, can also be like a mobile phone card for voice calls or ** calls, and can even listen to ** like a smart phone, search for problems, and even may use eSIM cards to pay in the future. <>

However, at present, it is more difficult for the domestic eSIM card technology to completely replace the mobile phone, the most fundamental reason is the domestic regulations on eSIM cards, although this eSIM card can indeed bring users a better experience, more convenient for users, but want to do nationwide promotion, but also need the assistance of the state and relevant technical departments, the eSIM business has become a major advantage of China's communications industry.

An eSIM card is an embedded SIM card. The reason why it may replace mobile phones is that through this card, it can be replaced remotely and at will at the three major operators**.

An ES IM card refers to an embedded SIM card. It is faster to directly insert the SIM card into the chip built into the phone, rather than existing it alone.

The regions supported by eSIM are as follows:

1. China. China Unicom eSIM cards support Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, and Zhengzhou, and China Telecom eSIM cards support Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chengdu, Wuhan, and Hangzhou.

2. The United States. Major carriers such as AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc., support ESIM.

3. Europe. ESIM is supported by major carriers in most European countries, such as Vodafone, Orange, Telefonica, etc.

4. Australia.

Major carriers such as Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone support ESIM.

Pros of eSIM:

1. It does not need to be plugged and unplugged, and can be activated and configured wirelessly, so that users can switch operators and service plans more conveniently.

2. It can support multiple operators and service plans, and users can switch according to their needs, and there is no need to replace the SIM card.

3. Encryption technology is used to improve the security of communication and prevent SIM card from being stolen or copied.

4. There is no need for a physical card slot, which can reduce the impact on the environment and reduce the generation of waste.

5. It can be directly embedded in the device, without the need for additional physical card slots, which can save the space of the device and make the device thinner and lighter. <>

eSIM refers to the eSIM card, i.e., Embedded-SIM, embedded SIM card.

Instead of being added to the device as a separate removable component, the eSIM card eliminates the need to insert a physical SIM card, giving users more flexibility to choose the carrier** or change carriers at any time without having to unlock the device or buy a new device.

Since there is no longer a need to set up a separate SIM card slot for the device, devices designed with eSIM will have a lighter and thinner body, and eSIM can significantly reduce the cost of SIM card procurement and number resource management for operators.

Apple and Samsung have adopted the eSIM function, and the reason why domestic mobile phones do not cancel the SIM card may be mainly in terms of security, management and technology, etc., there are still some obstacles.

According to **, the eSIM card, that is, the embedded SIM card, is to embed the traditional SIM card directly into the device chip, rather than as a separate removable part added to the device, and there is no need to insert a physical SIM card for Naizhou users. An eSIM is a data file that can be sent over the network to a mobile terminal. With eSIM, all kinds of electronic devices can connect to the Internet, make and receive calls**, send and receive text messages, and more.

In terms of specific functions, eSIM is no different from ordinary SIM cards, that is, any device that can access the mobile network can use eSIM. In fact, in layman's terms, eSIM is the SIM card masked by the electronic hall, and the main difference between it and the SIM card is that there is no physical bearing.