Vodafone now do eSIM for Apple Watch, so is it really that different for the iPhone? It just feels like EE have done a deal to ensure no one else can launch it for at least a year,
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Could be, but currently I donāt really see much advantage, especially for the carriers to implement it other than āme tooā rights which are hardly worth bragging about.
EE love to be first at everything these days: First for 4G, 5G, Wi-Fi Calling, VoLTE, eSIM, etc.
Allowing eSIM to allow you to insert the SIM of another provider gives carriers no benefit at all and may even lose them money.
As a counter point to that argument, I switched to EE specially because they would let me use my e-sim on my Pixel 3 XL. I had no other reason to leave Three at the time.
My apologies, EE requires you to request a physical SIM and then go to the branch to get an eSIM issued.
You ask for one, they get activated by a set of codes shared through barcode or typed in manually (SM-DP Address, Activation code and possibly a confirmation code, according to Appleās UI for typing details in manually)
App based provisioning or sending me an email with the information (that requires a code I can get from the website as a second factor) would be the best solution in my opinion. Secure and works easily.
If they do Vodafone may have to be the next carrier I move to until Nick gets integrated into EE directly and can offer it
Need it for the watch + roaming without having to mess with iMessage and fiddling with SIMs
They let you do it through their chat platform as well.
EE will also post you an E-SIM pack, containing a barcode and a security code if you ask.
Sort of, in that there was no removable SIM that you put into your phone. But each phone was hard-coded to the network that sold it, there was no way to switch, either at home or when travelling. So not really like an eSIM at all ā the point of an eSIM is that it is āportableā and swappable like a physical SIM, but without requiring a physical object.
In my opinion, this is the eventual destination. Itās idiosyncratic that we still need little pieces of plastic and metal to tell our phone what network to connect to. Imagine if you had to swap out a little card every time you switched WiFi network providers!
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Wow, thatās a bit of a waste of plastic and a pain in the arse.
I can see, (at least at the moment until in-app provisioning is a thing, where you can sign in to the mobile operators app to switch phones) having an eSIM being more of a pain!?
Superior for traveling though.
I actually had a discussion with @nick about this and he asked me the following:
- Would swapping your SIM be too much hassle
To which I answered yes. Why, you may ask? See below.
- Requires carrying an ejector tool
- Messes around with iMessage as you take SIMs in and out
- Fiddly and I could possibly lose one
- If I lose one Iām potentially locked out of purchasing things with my bank account (due to Starling sending texts for 3DS) as well as a plethora of other things (for disclosure I donāt think I said this but I was thinking it)
As such Iād rather have my main SIM as an eSIM and then while traveling Iād use a physical SIM, borrowing an ejector from the mobile store or just leaving one in my travel bag to use once rather than having to keep it on hand
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I have an EE eSIM and a Vodafone SIM in my iPhone. Itās great when travelling. I can pick which network I want to use depending on which one has better roaming where I am. There are also times when in the UK, one network isnāt working and I can just swap to the other.
T-Mobile US let you provision the eSIM from the app letting you sign up to their tourist plan and have a local SIM ready for when you land.
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Fun fact - this number will work with Venmo and others 
You can port this number to Google Voice or similar (there is a fee involved but itās one-time)
Itās how Iām going to be netting myself a US phone number for usage there
Yeah for someone who travels outside the EU several months a year this would be a huge thing!
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A very small percentage of the population travel outside the EU each year, so a lower priority for a new network getting off the ground with minimal capital.
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I get that. My concern is knowingly purely selfish here. And thatās the great thing about a network where I represent almost a full % of the user base. Remember, itās already a somewhat niche product for many reasons.
Before EU roaming rules, Iād usually grab a quick PAYG SIM while abroad. Is this still often a good idea in non-EU countries?
Yeah itās still the best option unless thereās endless public WiFi
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Which is why decoupling the number from the SIM is so important. Iād love for Zevvle to offer an app (or even a SIP interface so you can connect any SIP client) so you can keep using your number even on a different SIM/no SIM at all (also circumvents the lack of WIFI Calling issue).
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Itās practically necessary. Why wouldnāt it be?
Which there isnāt even in rural areas in the UK let alone India, Honduras, Ghana, Bolivia, etc.
Then with Zevvle youāll be using eSIM everywhere when itās launched and then physical SIM cards for everything else
Should Vodafone launch eSIM Iāll jump on their offering, unfortunately I donāt see that happening so I may have to shift over to EE after using my Zevvle credit up (to see yknow, the whole fuss about EEās quality of network)
If Zevvle get eSIM though, definitely my first choice - especially if @nick gets me over for a cup of tea to look at that thicc backend code 