Apple launched the first eSIM-only iPhone 14 model in select markets last year. eSIM as a technology has been around for many years but this is the first time when a tech company decided to completely ditch the physical SIM in favour of eSIM which is slowly gaining ground in markets like India as well.
While eSIM is not new in the country, the majority of smartphone users are not aware about using eSIMs. In fact, not all iPhone users in India activate eSIM which many see as a tedious process. But recently, one of the telecom operators in India reached out to its users and advised them to switch to eSIM and gave them multiple reasons to do so.
eSIM – Everything You Need To Know
eSIM stands for Embedded-Subscriber Identity Module. It is embedded in a device and is basically a virtual SIM card that is simply activated on a supported device. The telco talks about the benefit of moving to eSIM for your phone or even the smartwatch if it supports the feature.
It also claims that you can use multiple mobile numbers on a single eSIM and says it is easy to change devices with an eSIM because of the digital profile attached to the number. More importantly, eSIM is also helpful in case your device gets stolen and the thief will have a hard time erasing the number unless he has high-tech gadgets to pull that off.
Having said that, eSIM has nothing to do with providing better internet speeds or better cellular reception. It’s simply a digital copy of your SIM card. Also, note that you can’t have both an eSIM and a physical SIM for the same mobile number.
After the eSIM gets activated, your physical SIM card stops working and if you later decide to switch back to regular SIM card then the process will have to be reversed through the telco which can mean your number is unavailable for a few hours or even a day. Telcos are getting better equipped to handle the switch from SIM to eSIM but still we feel the hassle of changing numbers, unless you plan to use one device for 3 to 4 years, doesn’t add up yet.
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