If you have been up with the latest news and trend in technology then you might have heard that Apple has eliminated their sim card slot. This is true for Apple devices in the USA while they are still providing them in other countries. They replaced the physical sim card slot with esim. So what exactly is a esim? well in simple terms it is a digital sim card. Although this is technically not a correct definition and we will see why. In this article, we will understand esim and its benefits and how can you get one for yourself.
So what exactly is a esim?
From a consumer point of view, we can consider it to be a digital sim card as we don’t need a physical card to activate our cellular devices. But in reality, there is a physical sim card present inside your phone but it’s not removable. It is soldered to the motherboard directly.
If you are thinking that, this means you will need to have same network provider throughout your lifetime, then don’t worry. This is not the case. The key difference between your physical sim cards and esim is that the latter are programmable. Hence if you wish to switch your network provider then it is very much possible.
Apart from this, in terms of functionality, it is the same as your traditional sim card. We have written an interesting blog about the untold story of sim card. You can refer to that to know some amazing facts about the sim.
How to get your esim
Currently, in India, there are three major telecommunication providers. Jio, Airtel, and Vi [vodaphone and idea merger]. All three provide you esim facilities. Below is the generic procedure to register your sim.
- First, check the compatibility of your phone. Usually, if you go to the service provider’s website where you can input your mobile model number and it will tell you if your phone is compatible.
- You can either send sms to your service provider on their unique number [for example for Airtel the number you need to send sms is 121] or you can directly go to the showroom to raise your request.
- You will receive a QR code on your registered email which can only be used once.
- From your mobile setting click on register esim and scan the QR code. You will be good to go. Usually, it can take up to 2 hours for your sim to get activated.
This is the general process for registration and it looks almost similar for all the telecom companies.
Benefits of esim
- You can register more than 1 number on an esim. Although at any given time you be entitled to use only one or two services simultaneously. This is extremely useful for people traveling internationally regularly. You can register multiple sim cards from various countries and based on your location you can activate that particular service provider.
- It is also beneficial for business owners who can have multiple numbers for their personal and business purposes.
- If you are using a traditional sim card without a PIN then if stolen it can be used for all the wrong things. This is not a concern with e-sim.
- As esim eliminates a dedicated sim card tray it gives more space in your phone to add new hardware. Also lesser the removable component higher the resistance it can provide against dust and water.
Drawback of esim
- It might be difficult for elder people or for those in general who are not comfortable with technology to register their number.
- With a physical sim, all you need to do is remove and insert a new device. While in the case of sim, you will need to deregister and re-register in your new device.
Esim is the future. with all the tech it will have its demerits and it will take time for people to get used to it. Currently, there are limited devices in India that come with esim hardware. Most of them are only found in premium phones. But it is expected in the coming few years all the devices will be operating with a esim.