
Image by Tomek
Over the last few decades, the humble SIM card has played a pivotal role in global communication. By enabling connection to a local telecoms network, a physical SIM card has allowed people to call and message one another, as well as facilitating access to the world wide web on mobile phones, tablets and a variety of other smart devices.
So familiar are we with the technology that it might seem as though physical SIM cards are an indispensable facet of modern life… which is why it may shock you to learn that they could be on the verge of becoming obsolete. Thanks to the advent of eSIM technology, which allows remote installation, instant activation and easy access to national or international networks (such as the eSIM USA, for example), it’s less and less likely that a physical card will be required in the future. To learn more about this exciting new innovation, read on.
The evolution of SIM technology
The very first SIM cards began to appear in 1991, with mobile phone manufacturers introducing SIMs 86mm x 54mm in size. That’s roughly equivalent to a credit card today and of course, in order to accommodate these cumbersome cards, the phones themselves had to have generous proportions – often earning them the unflattering moniker of “bricks”.
Five years later, the mini-SIM was introduced. At 25mm x 15mm, it was a significant improvement on what came before and allowed manufacturers to greatly reduce the size of their handsets. In 2003, the micro-SIM arrived (15mm x 12mm), while further gains were made with the nano-SIM in 2012 (12mm x 9mm). It’s this card which is still found in the majority of phones today.
While the nano-SIM card is over six times smaller than the first incarnation of the technology, this has been achieved by reducing the plastic housing surrounding the golden chip at its epicenter. In reality, this is the most important of component of the SIM card and it’s changed very little in the three decades since its invention… until now.
Introducing the eSIM
In recent years, a new version of the Subscriber Identity Module has emerged which has dispensed with the need for a physical card entirely. The first eSIM (the “e” stands for embedded) emerged in 2013 and, as the name suggests, it is embedded into the hardware itself. In practice, this means that the chip is soldered onto the device’s motherboard, meaning there’s no need for a physical card to be inserted at all.
While the technology might be a decade old, it’s only been widely incorporated into new devices in the last five years or so. As such, it’s still very much in its infancy – but support from big names in the field of telecommunications and technology such as Apple, Google, Huawei and Samsung mean that the eSIM is most certainly here to stay.
Indeed, there were already 1.2 billion eSIM connected devices in 2021 and, according to Juniper Research, that figure is expected to swell 180% to reach 3.4 billion by 2025, which everyday consumers accounting for 94% of its uptake. So what is it about eSIMs that make them so popular?
Advantages of the eSIM
There are several major benefits associated with the new technology, including (but not limited to) the following:
- By eliminating the physical SIM entirely, users no longer need to travel to a store to purchase one or wait for it to arrive in the post. Neither do they need to mess around with the fiddly insertion process of a new SIM, nor worry about losing their old one. eSIM profiles can be bought online, downloaded over the internet and activated remotely, making everything much easier.
- eSIMs can handle multiple profiles (or phone numbers) simultaneously. This is fantastic news for those who travel frequently for business or pleasure, since they can use the same device to connect to various different networks, switching seamlessly between them at will. Plus, the original number associated with the device can still be retained so as not to lose contacts or chat histories.
- Security and sustainability. Because the eSIM is embedded into the device itself, there’s no risk of a thief stealing it and assuming one’s identity. What’s more, the fact that no physical card is required means that the amount of plastic involved in the production of the technology can be greatly reduced, creating less waste and impacting less negatively on the planet.
These are just some of the initial advantages of eSIMs and, as the technology develops, more are bound to arise.
What the future holds
As mentioned above, eSIMs are still a relatively new technology, which means they are not yet present in all phones on the market. However, that’s likely to change in the near future and when it does, physical SIMs could become obsolete altogether. At that point, phone manufacturers may utilize the space formerly monopolized by SIM card slots to include other features, such as a larger battery or enhanced memory capacity.
As well as optimizing the device’s functionality, it could also make it more durable by eliminating a potential point of water ingress. Today’s phones rely on a gasket to ensure that no moisture can enter, but this system can sometimes malfunction and the device can become damaged as a result. With eSIMs, no such outcome is possible.
Of course, the diminutive and integrated nature of eSIMs means that they’re not limited to phones, either. Small smart devices like watches, glasses, headphones and other wearables do not have the size to accommodate traditional SIMs, but eSIMs can fit into them without any problems. This enhances their interconnectivity and greatly optimizes their functionality.
The future of the SIM sector has never looked brighter. Though eSIMs are quite a substantial departure from what came before, the benefits they will bring will transform the technology – and our lives along with it.
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