Qualcomm has demonstrated a new technology that should replace the usual SIM-cards. It was called iSIM and will be built into the processors of this manufacturer. According to experts, the technology can significantly increase the number of devices connected to the Network and increase the influence of gadget manufacturers on mobile operators.
Since the advent of smartphones, technology has gone down the path of reducing the dimensions of all the components of the device. This is clearly seen in the example of a SIM card, which was originally – in 1991 – the size of a bank card. And then it went from miniSIM to compact microSIM, to Apple’s nanoSIM, which was about the size of a chip. And finally – eSIM – an electronic SIM card that is stored in the memory of a mobile device: smartphone, tablet, smart watch and others.
The idea of iSIM technology (integrated SIM – built-in SIM) is fully disclosed in its name. One of the largest processor manufacturers, Qualcomm, has figured out how to embed a SIM card module directly into a mobile processor.
“In fact, this is the same eSIM, but without the need to install a separate chip that takes up additional space. It is much more convenient and cheaper to build an eSIM into the processor, so that thanks to iSIM, owners of mass smartphones, and not just flagships, will be able to abandon physical SIM cards,” – notes Telecom Daily columnist Ilya Shatilin.
To demonstrate the capabilities of the novelty, the flagship Snapdragon 888 5G processor and the Galaxy Z Flip3 5G smartphone equipped with this processor were used. According to the leading mobile analyst Eldar Murtazin, at the first stage, the novelty will be implemented in flagship and mid-price devices, it is not worth waiting for iSIM to appear in budget gadgets in the coming years. According to Ilya Shatilin, we will be able to see smartphones with new processors with iSIM support on store shelves at best at the end of 2022, but in general, the focus will be on 2023 and subsequent years.
Experts note three main advantages of the novelty. First of all, iSIM allows you to significantly simplify the internal design of the phone. The use of iSIM will enable developers to get rid of SIM trays that take up a lot of space in the case of mobile devices. They can give the freed up space for other components.
The second advantage of iSIM technology is its maximum similarity with eSIM. So the transition to iSIM can be as painless as possible for subscribers and seamless for telecom operators.
Well, the third advantage of iSIM is a huge area of its application. The integration of SIM into the central processor will allow those devices to connect to cellular networks and use the mobile Internet that did not initially assume such a use case. For example, laptops, most of which are equipped only with a WI-Fi module, and in order to access the Internet via cellular networks, users have to purchase USB modems produced using the most outdated technologies and taking up a lot of space. Also, iSIM can find its application in Internet of Things devices and in automotive media systems.
According to Murtazin, the emergence of iSIM is a move by gadget manufacturers to tighten control over the business of mobile operators.
“iSIM is an attempt to please Apple, which is consistently trying to dominate the SIM card market in terms of agreements with operators. The eSIM that exists today is much less controlled by hardware manufacturers. But with iSIM everything is different, there is complete control,” Murtazin says.
According to the expert, if in the process it is possible to abandon the physical SIM card (which is unlikely in the next year or two), then this control – who to let in, who not to let in – will appear, and operators will have to negotiate with electronics manufacturers.
Of the minuses of iSIM for users, experts note the complexity of the procedure for transferring a SIM card from one device to another. If a physical SIM card can be rearranged on its own, then an electronic one must be reissued and all this time the user will be without access to cellular communications and SMS messages. And in order to download the restored iSIM to the gadget, you will have to find a Wi-Fi network.
Konstantin Ankilov, Managing Partner at TMT Consulting, is cautious about the prospects for iSIM in the coming years. “So far, this is still a small market, but with the potential for widespread adoption of this technology. The potential for embedded esim may be not only in smartphones, but in connected cars – this segment is seen as one of the largest,” Ankilov said.
According to the Counterpoint Emerging Opportunities Service, shipments of e-SIM devices will reach nearly two billion units by 2025, driven primarily by smartphones and enterprise IoT devices.