Optus has announced it will make eSIM technology available to its MVNO partners, allowing smaller providers powered by the Optus network to sell their customers digital SIM cards.
For those not familiar with the term, eSIM - an electronic SIM or embedded SIM - is a rewritable SIM card that’s built into a cellular device like a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch. There's no need to pop open a slot or pry off a case to put in a SIM; an eSIM never leaves your phone.
amaysim, owned by Optus, is now the second Optus MVNO to have added eSIM support. Customers can pick between an eSIM and a physical SIM at sign-up, with the idea that an eSIM is delivered almost instantly, while a regular SIM will take between two and ten days in the post.
gomo, another Optus sub-brand, added eSIM at the end of last year.
WhistleOut understands that there should be a greater amount of Optus providers offering eSIM as a digital alternative in the next six to twelve months.
Devices compatible with eSIM include the iPhone XS and newer, Samsung flagships from the Galaxy S20 and up, and Google phones from the Pixel 3a onward.
eSIM compatible devices are effectively dual SIM phones, as they can use one physical SIM and one digital SIM at the same time.
eSIM adoption by smaller providers has been pretty slow thus far. Telstra announced it was testing eSIM with MVNOs in early 2021, but so far Woolworths Mobile is the only Telstra-powered provider that has added it as an option.
A Telstra spokesperson told WhistleOut that eSIM requires MVNO partners to "enhance their systems" to adopt the tech.
felix and Kogan Mobile are the only two Vodafone MVNOs to offer eSIM.
Alex Choros
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