eSIM vendors in focus: crucial calls to action to accelerate consumer adoption

At present there is a gap between industry progress with eSIM technology and consumer awareness and adoption of eSIM. eSIM vendors have been playing a key role in driving progress. Some OEMs, such as Apple and Google, have embraced eSIM universally, making the technology available in all new smartphone models launched since 2018. Additionally, as of June 2022, more than 260 operators (MNOs and MVNOs) have launched commercial eSIM service for smartphones. All of these point to good progress, but less than 30% of consumers (on average across eight major countries analysed) are aware of eSIM – this is currently a barrier for eSIM adoption at scale.

Between May and June 2022, GSMA Intelligence conducted a global survey of eSIM vendors focused on eSIM in smartphones. Hearing from companies that are driving eSIM momentum is key to assess what factors could accelerate consumer adoption of eSIM going forward and how we get there. This analysis presents the findings of our survey and examines what they mean for the eSIM ecosystem, in addition to revealing crucial calls to action to accelerate consumer adoption of eSIM.