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ETSI Release Updated eSIM Mobile Spec with Multi-Account Support

Thursday, Oct 20th, 2022 (1:17 pm) - Score 1,280
mobile smartphone and uk sim card sizes

Technology development group ETSI, which is a European Standards Organization (ESO), has this week released a new e-SIM related specification that will enable multiple accounts and identities to exist inside the same Smartphone (mobile) handset without needing any physical SIMs to be within the device.

Just to recap. The GSMA’s eSIM standard is an alternative to physical SIM cards, which essentially embeds an electronic SIM into your device (Smartphone) and that could – once fully implemented – make it easier and quicker to switch between networks, among other things.

So far O2 (VMO2), Vodafone, Three UK and EE (BT) have all added some degree of eSIM support to their networks, albeit with varying different levels of support (i.e. it’s sometimes only enabled for selected devices and may lack some of the more ambitious feature goals). This is partly because eSIM technology is still somewhat of a work-in-progress.

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The good news is that ETSI’s latest specification will enable multiple accounts and identities to exist in the same smartphone handset without needing any physical SIMs to be within the device (i.e. multiple virtual secure elements that can coexist logically separated). In short, this will remove the need for mobiles to contain more than one physical SIM to host two different accounts on the same device.

Denis Praca, Chair of the SET group at ETSI, said:

“We’re so excited to release new versions of several UICC Release 17 specifications that can benefit so many users. This is a breakthrough for end-users who will easily be able to use multiple services and for service providers to deploy their applications on a single mobile device, with the benefit of the long term recognized security provided by the UICC.

The next stage for us at ETSI, is to get mobile network operators and secure application providers to come forward and work with us to creates the applications that will run on the ETSI developed platform.”

However, it will take time to integrate all this into the core mobile standards, which will then be followed by the need to integrate that into Smartphone hardware and mobile networks.

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Mark-Jackson
By Mark Jackson
Mark is a professional technology writer, IT consultant and computer engineer from Dorset (England), he also founded ISPreview in 1999 and enjoys analysing the latest telecoms and broadband developments. Find me on X (Twitter), Mastodon, Facebook and .
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9 Responses

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  1. Avatar photo Nick Roberts says:

    Is it likely, as a consequence of this move, there is the slightest glimmer of light at the end of tunnel and that mobiles and similar devices may become an aid to productivity, instead of labarynthine skyscrapper menu concealing pains-in-the-rear-end that they are today

    1. Avatar photo keeper says:

      I can get to my esim menu in 2 swipes.. not hard at all

    2. Avatar photo André says:

      Setting them up is fairly painless. The problem is when you do something trivial like changing phones.
      Physical SIM is a quick swap and done. eSIM implementations in the UK more often than not mean going to a carrier store to get another issued and the line ported to the new eSIM.
      It can be completely painless and done from within an app (like carriers in Poland, from previous experience), though.
      I don’t think I’ll buy a an iPhone without a SIM tray. Takes away the last little bit of control from the consumer.

  2. Avatar photo RP says:

    I don’t understand what’s new? You can already have multiple eSIMs with an iPhone.

    Also, it’s not the eSIM technology that’s the barrier to uptake. It’s the mobile network support for them. Every time I get a new phone I have to run the gauntlet of explaining eSIMs to the assistant in my local O2 store and persuading them to give me an eSIM pack so I can do the swap myself.

  3. Avatar photo Dhiren says:

    I have 2 esims in my Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra – one from a US carrier and the other from a UK carrier with no issues

  4. Avatar photo Mark Kelly says:

    Ones who say they already have two or more esims on their devices, I think this new spec is to allow “BOTH” to be activated and running at the same time. Like one can have on dual sims currently so one can receive calls on either sims. If data goes off one network, it will switch to the second one etc..

    1. Avatar photo KAC says:

      You can already make and receive calls on both lines at the same time (but only use Data on one line at a time).

      https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT209044

  5. Avatar photo Thomas the Tank Engine says:

    @Dhiren:

    Can you “Activate” and use 2 eSIM profiles at the same time?

    So turn off your actual SIM and
    load another eSIM (so you have 2 eSIM profiles on your phone) and try to use both eSIM’s as (Line 1 and Line 2) at the same time 🙂

    1. Avatar photo dave says:

      Actually yes, at least with iPhone 13.

Comments are closed

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