Arrival of eSIM Fuels More Mobile Switching by UK Consumers

New data from mobile benchmarking firm Opensignal has revealed that the gradual, and not always particularly smooth, adoption of Embedded Subscriber Identity Modules (eSIM) by UK mobile network operators and related Smartphones is starting to deliver a clear and significant improvement in consumer switching.

The 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 operators (e.g. not having to wait for a SIM card to arrive), as well as to use additional networks alongside your main mobile operator (e.g. eSIMs for travel when abroad).

However, it’s also fair to say that getting eSIMs into the mainstream has been a bit of a choppy experience, with issues of patchy support via different devices and some operators being much slower than others to fully introduce the feature. But progress has been made and the extra simplicity that a properly implemented eSIM solution can bring to considers is not to be understated.

The latest data from Opensignal shows that the introduction of eSIMs into the UK market, as well as that of other countries, is altering how consumers switch between mobile operators and encouraging operators to adopt new tactics to retain and acquire users (e.g. some operators are offering network trials from within an app that provisions an eSIM immediately).

According to the data, eSIM users switch mobile operators more frequently and NOT by a small margin. Overall, Opensignal’s crowdsourced data reveals that around 6% of all mobile users (any SIM type) switched mobile operator SIM cards or eSIM profiles during Q1 2023, but when this is filtered to only look at eSIM-activated devices (i.e. the eSIM is actually being used) then it surges to 24.1%.

Singapore is a small country, and one that stands out above as having an almost absurdly high proportion of switching. But the country is also a major international transit and trading destination, where travellers are a high proportion of users. This may help to explain why there’s so much switching going on in that market.

The data more broadly also shows that eSIM technology is finding particular appeal among dual-SIM users (e.g. often those who travel or use one device for home and business), and is further driving the adoption of dual-SIM usage in a number of markets where the usage was previously limited or non-existent. For example, the UK is home to 12.4% of Dual-SIM users with an activated eSIM on their device, and that increased by 30% between Q1 2022 and Q1 2023.

Take note that the above analysis was limited to domestic users – defined as users that used a domestic operator’s SIM card (MNO or MVNO) at any period during the cited quarter. Devices that have entered the market and stayed on international roaming are excluded from the analysis.