IPhone eSIMs can be used from month-end

Du to launch 5G fixed line network facility in UAE in the first quarter of next year

Apple iPhone fans will soon be able to use the eSIM (embedded SIM) technology in the UAE, by the end of this month, telecom operators have confirmed to Gulf News.

An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows users to activate a cellular plan from a carrier, without having to use a physical SIM card.

When Apple launched its iPhone XS and XS MAX in the UAE on September 21, eSIM support was unavailable in the UAE. But now, Apple customers will be able to activate the eSIM facility by the end of this month, only for their iPhones.

“The set-up for eSIM is different for the Apple Watch and phones. For the watch, there is an additional component to be implemented and the infrastructure to integrate the watch,” Saleem Al Beloushi, chief infrastructure officer at Du, told Gulf News. Moreover, he said that eSIM support for Apple Watch will be ready by the first quarter of next year.

Etisalat already supports eSIM for the Apple Watch. The telecom operator was not available for comments, when asked about eSIM support for the iPhone, but an industry expert said both operators will support the facility by month-end.

End-user advantage

There are talks in the industry that handset providers will have more control over a customer with eSIM, than a telecom operator, as the SIM is the one that binds a telecom operator with a customer.

The SIM card on a phone allows a mobile operator to identify and authenticate a consumer, which in turn gives the consumer access to the mobile network to for calls and data.

Al Beloushi said that the control of ‘SIM supply management’ will go to Apple, but telecom operators will still have their profiles on the SIM. With eSIM, it can have multiple operators’ profiles on it, he said. However, he said the advantage will be more for end users to switch between operators seamlessly.

“There is a possibility that all handset providers will have more control of the eSIM than the operators and they can charge and monetise the control of the SIM by charging the operators per connection. From the operators’ perspective, that is the worst case scenario.

“With eSIM, it will also pressure telecom operators to slash call and data rates and if they don’t, they will be left behind,” he said.