Everything about using a phone has gotten slicker and more user-friendly over the years.
Everything, that is, except the SIM, which has actually become even more fiddly than it used to be with the introduction of SIM extraction tools and ever-shrinking SIM cards. The SIM is the weak link in your smartphone experience, which is why this article might just change your life.
Meet the eSIM (which stands for Electronic Subscriber Identity Module).
An eSIM works just like a traditional SIM, letting you make calls, send SMS messages, and go online. Except you never have to take an eSIM out or put one in.
That’s because eSIMs are programmable. To make a change, all you need to do is scan a QR code online. The card does everything else.
Aside from convenience, one of the main advantages of an eSIM is that it gives you easy access to global roaming, consigning to history the tedious process of changing SIMs or contacting your operator before you go abroad.
Another is the increased level of security. You may not know it, but your SIM is a gaping hole in your defenses, open at all times to the threat of simjacking, SIM cloning, and SIM swaps.
None of these is a problem with an eSIM, which not only keeps your personal information locked down unless you give explicit permission to share it, but also requires you to use an activation code before use.
Believe it or not, eSIMs are not a future technology. You can get yourself set up with one right now, through a growing number of different suppliers, all with their own unique offerings.
Operators in the space include Nomad, which is super-good value, Airalo, which gives you a ton of customization options and a great all-round user experience, and RedteaGO, which has partnered up with Apple to become the official provider of eSIM services for iOS devices…
And in the not-too-distant future, you might even be taking out your eSIM contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is reportedly planning to offer telco services through its space-age Starlink satellite network.
