Tag: iSIM

Advantages of eSIM and iSIM Technologies for IoT

Innovations in SIM card technology have paved the way for more efficient, flexible, and secure connectivity solutions. Traditional SIM cards, once ubiquitous, are giving way to embedded SIM (eSIM) and integrated SIM (iSIM) technologies. These advancements are not just incremental improvements; they represent a significant leap forward in the world of IoT connectivity in particular.

The Evolution of SIMs in IoT

Traditionally, SIM cards have been physical, removable chips inserted into devices. However, this design has become a constraint for shrinking IoT devices, necessitating a change. eSIMs, digital SIMs soldered onto a device’s motherboard, offer an enhanced durability, compactness, and remote over-the-air updates. iSIMs, a newer development, integrate with cellular modems and MCUs on a single chip, further reducing size and power consumption. Although iSIMs limit flexibility, their potential in mission-critical IoT applications is unparalleled.

Rise of eSIM in IoT Connectivity

eSIM technology is rapidly gaining ground in the IoT sphere. Juniper Research predicts that by 2026, there will be 195 million IoT connections utilizing eSIMs globally. The popularity of eSIMs can be attributed to their compactness, durability, remote management capabilities, and flexibility through multiple carrier profiles.

Embracing iSIM: Shaping the Future

While still in development, iSIMs hold great promise for revolutionizing IoT connectivity. Their unmatched compactness, power efficiency, and ability to accommodate multiple carrier profiles and security certificates make them ideal for mission-critical IoT applications. As iSIM technology matures, it is poised to become a cornerstone of future IoT deployments.

What are the Benefits of Using an eSIM or iSIM Solution?

eSIMs and iSIMs offer a multitude of advantages in the realm of IoT connectivity. One notable benefit is the increased flexibility they provide to IoT solution providers, enabling them to select the most suitable carrier for each specific application. This not only cuts down costs but also elevates overall performance. Additionally, these SIM technologies boast superior ruggedization, making them exceptionally durable and well-suited for demanding environments, such as those found in industrial automation and asset tracking applications. 

Moreover, eSIMs and iSIMs come fortified with enhanced security features like secure boot and storage, ensuring comprehensive protection against cyber threats and maintaining the integrity of IoT devices. Another significant advantage lies in the reduced costs; these technologies eliminate the necessity for physical SIM cards, substantially lowering the total cost of ownership for large-scale IoT deployments. This financial efficiency makes eSIMs and iSIMs prudent choices for businesses aiming to optimize their IoT solutions.

Where Can I Find an eSIM or iSIM Device?

While we have yet to find any iSIM compatible devices, several of the routers we carry at 5Gstore.com have embraced eSIM technology. These are often compact devices that are powerful LTE and/or 5G solutions for both fixed and mobile applications. 

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SIM vs. eSIM vs. iSIM – What is the Difference? 

SIM stands for Subscriber Identity Module or Subscriber Identification Module. It is known as an integrated circuit (IC) and it’s meant to store the international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number and its related key. This data is used to identify and authenticate subscribers on cellular devices. In other words, without this information, you cannot make calls or send text messages. 

Did you know there’s more than one type of SIM? 

When most of us think of SIM, we picture the physical card. This is known as a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). The other SIM types are fundamentally the same in that they carry an identity to present to the network. Each will then decide what network(s) you have access to. One major difference with a physical SIM card is that it can be taken out of one cellular device and moved into another. If you need to switch carriers or phones, this makes it easy.  

Eventually, manufacturing companies started embedding SIM cards into the motherboard on devices. This became known as the eSIM and can be a bit smaller than a physical SIM. You’ll generally see these in smartwatches. Since these cannot be moved from one device to another, they are electronically programmable. 

eSIM technology actually makes switching carriers even easier – at least in some ways. Instead of waiting for a new SIM card to ship or going out to pick one up, you can make the switch right on your phone with information provided from your carrier. If your phone has an eSIM inside there will be settings that allow you to configure it. You’ll be able to switch between lines and carriers, and manage your accounts. There are also phones with dual eSIM technology. In this case, you can support multiple accounts on one device. 

So, if a SIM card is a UICC, then an eSIM is an EUICC (Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card). An iSIM or Integrated SIM, also known as the Integrated Universal Integrated Circuit Card (iUICC), takes up the least amount of space as it’s the smallest of the technologies. It is capable of everything that the eSIM is capable of. 

As you know, a physical SIM card requires a dedicated slot on a cellular device, while an eSIM requires a dedicated chip soldered to the device’s circuit board. In comparison, an iSIM is embedded within a Tamper-resistant element (TRE) on the device’s system-on-a-chip (SoC). It eliminates the need to depend on discrete SIM hardware and can be activated wirelessly using an industry-wide secure protocol.

In an article released earlier this year, Qualcomm highlighted the main benefits that iSIM technology offers for smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, and other IoT devices and gadgets:

  • Simplifies and enhances device design and performance by releasing space previously occupied within a device
  • Consolidates the SIM functionality into the device’s main chipset alongside other critical capabilities such as GPU, CPU, and modem
  • Enables remote SIM provisioning by the operator leveraging the existing eSIM infrastructure
  • Opens mobile service connection capabilities to a host of devices that previously could not have SIM capabilities built-in

Are companies rushing to adopt eSIM or iSIM technology?

eSIM has actually been around since 2016, but hasn’t been used much outside of IoT and wearable devices. iSIM can lead to some vertically integrated solutions because you’re no longer having to source parts separately. Ideally, both would make everybody’s lives easier, but companies have to upgrade their processes for the sake of customers. Currently, there isn’t really a good process for building a device with an eSIM and then personalizing it with the carriers that you want. Once an eSIM carrier profile has been installed on an eUICC, it operates the same as a physical SIM, complete with a unique ICCID and network authentication key generated by the carrier. For example, if you get an eSIM from T-Mobile, it’s only going to access T-Mobile. It’s not the type you can just move to a different carrier. 

While carriers are finally starting to adopt eSIM, it’s still a slow process and they haven’t really done the same for iSIM yet. For iSIM to catch on, the module manufacturers have to provide good backends for people to be able to then personalize the connectivity. So, with regards to the process, there has to be some kind of functionality for the control of that iSIM to be given over to the solution providers so that they can decide on things like the network provider identity.

The use of iSIM in different forms of smart devices will allow various service providers and industries to harness a large number of data points that can then be harnessed to not only optimize physical assets like devices but also operations and services. Vodafone and Qualcomm showcased a proof of concept working with an iSIM (see earlier article) and demonstrated how an iSIM could be a valuable commodity in upcoming smartphones. For now though, companies like Apple are sticking to the eSIM technology with devices like their iPhone 14. 

So what does all this mean to me?

As the cellular industry and the technology involved progresses, it’s likely we’ll be seeing more eSIM and iSIM integration. With the high bandwidth and low latency benefits brought by 5G, it seems more companies are going to adopt the technology. Perhaps in an effort to keep the overall size of devices down, increase security for users, or to create more universally accessible devices.  Whatever the case may be, the important thing to note is that eSIM and iSIM are really no different than the traditional SIM “card.” You may not be able to touch either of them, but because of their application, the possibilities for the future are greater.

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What is difference between eSIM and iSIM?

An iSIM is an integrated SIM built into a system-on-chip (SoC) and is expected to replace the nano-SIM and eSIM found in most modern-day devices. While both an iSIM and eSIM have similar functions, and benefits, there are some notable differences.

Most phones still have at least one physical SIM card slot for a nano-sized SIM card. The nano-SIM card has existed for years and is an evolution of the Mini-SIM and Micro-SIM card. The eSIM was released years later. It’s a smaller chip than the nano-SIM and is soldered onto the printed circuit board. It works no differently than the nano-SIM in how it connects the device to the mobile network. The difference though is that the eSIM uses multiple profiles it has saved to verify the mobile network, allowing it to connect to any network operator in minutes. 

Unfortunately, the adoption of the eSIM has been very slow. Several manufacturers still make phones that don’t have support for an eSIM and those that do limit it to their high-end models. There are also a lot of mobile operators who have not even adopted the eSIM method. The area where the eSIM is most popular is in the wearable space, such as smartwatches like the Apple Watches. 

Enter the iSIM, which was announced in 2018 by Arm as a secure identity solution that replaces a physical SIM card and an eSIM. An iSIM is supposed to make it easier to connect a wider variety of devices to the internet. Its ease of use and implementation eliminates not only the cost of issuing physical SIMs, but the cost of deploying them and the need for physical access when there is a need to change the mobile network operator. 

With an iSIM, it is also easier to connect IoT devices with a smaller footprint that don’t have space for a physical SIM card. While an eSIM takes up less space than a nano-SIM, an iSIM is much smaller since it is integrated into the device’s processor. This allows manufacturers to use the additional space that would have been occupied by a SIM tray or eSIM for other components. Furthermore, without the need for a physical SIM card, a device with an iSIM (or eSIM) can be easily designed to be water-resistant.

The iSIM brings the benefits associated with an eSIM, but has a significant difference from an eSIM, which can also be termed its biggest advantage – its security. By integrating the SIM with the system-on-chip (SoC), the SIM is protected from being tampered with as it runs on a secure enclave built into the chipset. Also, since an iSIM can’t be removed, it makes it harder to steal a mobile device that has one.

iSIMs are mainly designed for IoT devices as it allows manufacturers to add cellular connectivity to these devices, but as we can see, smartphones can benefit from the advantages it brings. Unfortunately, Qualcomm’s new mobile processor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 appears to be the only mobile platform with support for an iSIM, so the adoption rate may even be slower than that of the eSIM.

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