By pered We are in an age of technology where our everyday products and services are formless, partially or fully digital. Everything from the zoo ticket on your weekend day out to your important credit and government identity cards is accessible in digital form. But all these things are stored in a physical mobile phone, with a physical battery and a SIM card. It’s not surprising, but surely fascinating, that even these components that facilitate our digital life are going digital!
With an embedded SIM or an eSIM, we have ushered in a new era of digital growth. Before you buy eSIM online to switch from your traditional SIM, here are a few things you should know.
What is an eSIM?
An eSIM is a technology which enables a phone to access network systems without the need for a physical SIM card. It is like a physical SIM card, but it is not a plastic chip which is removable. Instead, it forms a part of the phone’s internal organs and operates digitally. An eSIM differs significantly from a traditional card and has features which are lacking in a physical card. ESIMs are becoming popular, especially among travelers and professionals who have to travel abroad frequently. ESIMs are expected to completely replace physical cards in the near future because of their ease of accessing international data plans.
How to install an eSIM?
You first need to check if your device is compatible with an eSIM before you start with eSIM data plans. Usually, there is a SIM card tray in phones which is retractable and holds up to 2 SIM cards at one time. However, for an eSIM, the phone comes with an embedded chip which can be activated after scanning a QR code provided by the service provider or typing the activation code sent by them. An eSIM can hold up to 2-5 virtual SIM cards or more, depending on the brand you choose.
Benefits of eSIM:
ESIMs are becoming popular because of the many benefits they provide over traditional SIMs. You can seamlessly switch from one data plan to another. This is especially helpful to buy international data plans while you are traveling abroad. It eliminates the hassle of finding a service provider in a foreign land and sometimes even getting a new phone to operate it. It is also helpful for business professionals to have a personal number and multiple business numbers on the same phone. It also saves physical space in the phone.
Drawbacks of eSIM:
ESIMs come with a few drawbacks as well that one should consider before switching from traditional SIM cards. First of all, not all phone models support eSIMs. Since this is a fairly recent innovation, a lot of phone brands have not yet adopted and implemented it in their products. If you are looking for a global eSIM plan, you will have to make sure that the countries you are planning to travel are equipped with the eSIM technology.
After you have learned everything about eSIMs, how they operate and what are their advantages and disadvantages, you can go ahead and choose an eSIM plan which suits your preferences.