eSIMs Will Transform the Way You Think About Mobile Data and Security

The SIM card – that fiddly, eminently losable piece of plastic that has been part of our cell phones since the last century – is facing extinction. Here’s everything you need to know about its successor: the eSIM.

Short for Electronic Subscriber Identity Module, an eSIM is essentially a programmable SIM card.

That means it never has to leave your device, which in turn means you never need to search in the back of your junk drawer for your SIM extraction tool, nor wait for a new SIM card to arrive in the mail.

Instead, all you need to do when you want to change providers or go abroad is scan a quick QR code.

Plus, with an eSIM you can stop worrying about data roaming. You’ll know exactly where you can go and what it’ll cost upfront, allowing you to cross borders for work or play without a care in the world.

That goes for security, too. Whether or not you realize it, your traditional SIM is a sitting duck when it comes to simjacking, SIM cloning, and SIM swaps.

By contrast, an eSIM is an impenetrable fortress, requiring an activation code and refusing to share personal information unless you explicitly allow it.

You may be surprised to learn that there are already tons of new telcos offering eSIM deals, ranging from comprehensive packages with excellent customer service like Airalo to cut price offerings for the cost-conscious consumer like Flexiroam.

There’s even an official Apple eSIM partner, called RedteaGO.

And get this: it’s just possible that Elon Musk’s SpaceX might join the telco market one day, using its space age Starlink satellite network to provide an ultra-fast, global, low cost alternative to the current crop of mobile network operators.