eSIM of the Future
Imagine a future where you can have a single device from which you can choose whichever network carrier/provider is providing the best service and offerings where you are. Imagine carrier competition on steroids. Possible? Perhaps with eSIM, and with prepaid subscriptions the norm.
Most smartphones support a single SIM. In Africa and Asia, dual-SIM models are popular. eSIM can break the limits, enabling new capabilities and choices for consumers and businesses alike.
Where dual-SIM is popular, it is not surprising to find prepaid cellular accounts to be the norm. With prepaid, the customer can choose to spend only what they need for the day, or for the week, or for the month. Unlike postpaid plans that charge with a flat rate even if the service was underused, prepaid plans empower the customer with more choices and control.
Assuming eSIM can be implemented to support any available network, you may be provided with a simple interface to let you choose the network you want to "load" a prepaid service from. You may have the option to switch to any network at any time, purchasing "loads" when necessary. Although current implementations require each SIM to have a unique number, it may be possible in the future that an eSIM can use the same number for any carrier that you choose to "load" from.
The important idea being put forward here is empowering the customer with the freedom to choose and control their mobile needs and wants. Let's say, for example, that your device warned you about your "load" being low and you may need to reload your prepaid account. However, you just found an ad from a new network offering a special promotion for more call, text and data at an awesomely lower price. At a whim, you purchase a prepaid load from that new network and set your phone to automatically switch when the current load runs out. Life goes on, your phone switches at the right moment and you don't miss a thing.
The good thing about prepaid is that you pay for what you use. Let's say for example that your load runs out but you don't want to reload for the next two weeks or so because of a trip or whatever event you have, you can choose to do so at no cost. When you get back, you discover that there's a new promo from your previous network that beats the competition. Of course, you purchase a load from them and you're back online.
This can be an advantage when you travel as well. As soon as you land to your destination, you can choose a local network and purchase a load from them. If you've been to the country before, you may have the option to use your old number in that country, or you may get a new number. If you discover a new network with a better deal, you get the same friendly interface to purchase from the new network instead and you're back in business.
You can have multiple eSIMs active if you like. You can manually switch between them as desired. You can even have multiple numbers: say one for personal and another for work, for example. You can even use this to manage your mobile budget wisely: where one eSIM instance is for the network with the cheapest call and text package, but the other eSIM instance is for the network with the best data package in the market.
Is your head exploding? For those readers in countries where prepaid is popular, and where dual-SIM is already common, these concepts are actually easy to grasp. In fact, They make a lot of sense... and they should make sense everywhere.
Cellular networks are here to stay. New and innovative ways to empower customers and to promote competition is an important step forward. The future is eSIM, dual-eSIM or even multiple-eSIM in devices. Customers should be allowed to choose and decide which network is the best for them. It should never be about what the network claims. It should always be about what the customer chooses. It's not about the network. It's about the package(s) that they offer, the quality of their services and how they can literally keep their customers' loyalty. Power to the people? Yes, that's how it's suppose to be and it should be so going forward.
Most smartphones support a single SIM. In Africa and Asia, dual-SIM models are popular. eSIM can break the limits, enabling new capabilities and choices for consumers and businesses alike.
Where dual-SIM is popular, it is not surprising to find prepaid cellular accounts to be the norm. With prepaid, the customer can choose to spend only what they need for the day, or for the week, or for the month. Unlike postpaid plans that charge with a flat rate even if the service was underused, prepaid plans empower the customer with more choices and control.
Assuming eSIM can be implemented to support any available network, you may be provided with a simple interface to let you choose the network you want to "load" a prepaid service from. You may have the option to switch to any network at any time, purchasing "loads" when necessary. Although current implementations require each SIM to have a unique number, it may be possible in the future that an eSIM can use the same number for any carrier that you choose to "load" from.
The important idea being put forward here is empowering the customer with the freedom to choose and control their mobile needs and wants. Let's say, for example, that your device warned you about your "load" being low and you may need to reload your prepaid account. However, you just found an ad from a new network offering a special promotion for more call, text and data at an awesomely lower price. At a whim, you purchase a prepaid load from that new network and set your phone to automatically switch when the current load runs out. Life goes on, your phone switches at the right moment and you don't miss a thing.
The good thing about prepaid is that you pay for what you use. Let's say for example that your load runs out but you don't want to reload for the next two weeks or so because of a trip or whatever event you have, you can choose to do so at no cost. When you get back, you discover that there's a new promo from your previous network that beats the competition. Of course, you purchase a load from them and you're back online.
This can be an advantage when you travel as well. As soon as you land to your destination, you can choose a local network and purchase a load from them. If you've been to the country before, you may have the option to use your old number in that country, or you may get a new number. If you discover a new network with a better deal, you get the same friendly interface to purchase from the new network instead and you're back in business.
You can have multiple eSIMs active if you like. You can manually switch between them as desired. You can even have multiple numbers: say one for personal and another for work, for example. You can even use this to manage your mobile budget wisely: where one eSIM instance is for the network with the cheapest call and text package, but the other eSIM instance is for the network with the best data package in the market.
Is your head exploding? For those readers in countries where prepaid is popular, and where dual-SIM is already common, these concepts are actually easy to grasp. In fact, They make a lot of sense... and they should make sense everywhere.
Cellular networks are here to stay. New and innovative ways to empower customers and to promote competition is an important step forward. The future is eSIM, dual-eSIM or even multiple-eSIM in devices. Customers should be allowed to choose and decide which network is the best for them. It should never be about what the network claims. It should always be about what the customer chooses. It's not about the network. It's about the package(s) that they offer, the quality of their services and how they can literally keep their customers' loyalty. Power to the people? Yes, that's how it's suppose to be and it should be so going forward.
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