eSIM technology replaces the traditional, removable SIM card with a small, embedded chip inside the device. This embedded SIM can be activated digitally without physically inserting a card.

For new cellular use cases such as connected cars, industrial IoT or wearables, eSIM enables more robust solutions, smaller designs, and longer battery life.

However, to maintain flexibility, the absence of removable SIM cards called for a new solution: over-the-air (OTA) programmable SIM cards. 

The eSIM management - also known as - subscription management solution was born.

eSIM management includes two main components:

The physicalSIM card embedded in the device, which features eSIM-specific functionalities.

The eSIM management platform which allows the remote SIM provisioning (RSP). Specific eSIM profiles can be easily loaded, replaced or removed over-the-air simplifying connectivity management for mobile devices.

The eUICC is the SIM card or chip equipped with an operating system that enables remote management and can be remotely personalized with a network operator´s credentials. The eSIM, in contrast, is the operator profile that is securely downloaded onto the eUICC.

Contrary to a traditional SIM card (UICC), an eUICC contains a specific operating system that allows the download or management of MNO credentials – the so called eSIM profiles – over-the-air.

Although eUICCs are typically soldered chips, they can come in various form factors, such as. physical nano SIMs, SMDs (Surface Mounted Device) or even integrated SIMs (iSIM).

The eSIM ecosystem provides a level of security and protection equivalent to that of pluggable SIM cards. It relies on state-of-the-art cryptographic protocols to ensure user privacy. A public key infrastructure (PKI), governed by the GSMA secures authentication across the ecosystem. Manufacturers or providers of eSIM solutions must undergo GSMA certification to be admitted into the trusted ecosystem.