After a long wait, virtual SIM cards are also arriving in our country. To change operator just take a picture of a QR code
Available in the United States already for years, eSIMs are about to arrive in Italy, ie virtual SIM cards that do not need any physical support to connect to the telephone network of an operator.
The first to launch eSIMs in Italy will be TIM and Vodafone. The first one will do it, it seems, within a very short time. The operator already offers eSIMs for some smartwatches that it sells through its store: Samsung Gear S2, Galaxy Watch LTE and Galaxy Watch Active 2. But it hasn't yet done so on smartphones and tablets, despite the fact that there are already several compatible mobile devices in Italy. The first smartphones on which it will be possible to activate an eSIM from TIM, according to the latest rumors, will be Apple's iPhones, later other models, from other manufacturers, will also be enabled.
eSIM: compatible devices
Among the various devices already compatible with eSIM technology there are also the iPhone X and iPhone 11, the Google Pixel 2, 3 and 4 and the very recent Motorola Razr (which does not have a physical SIM, but only eSIM). Outside of smartphones, the Apple Watch, the new 10.2-inch iPad and the Galaxy Watch are already compatible with eSIM.
How to use eSIM in Italy
If we already have an eSIM-compatible device, all we have to do is wait for our carrier to make it available. The eSIM, in fact, is already inside our smartphone but has remained unused until now. We will soon be able to use it, for example, to make dual SIM our phone that does not have a dual physical slot. We will have, thus, a physical SIM and a virtual one that coexist without problems. Regarding the eSIM of TIM, we already know that they will be activated by scanning a QR code. It will then be possible, after activating the eSIM, to do without the physical SIM.
The costs of eSIMs should be identical to those of physical SIMs already sold by operators. Whoever buys a virtual SIM will receive a real card at home: on one side it contains the QR, on the other the normal SIM identification codes, such as the ICCID serial and the NMU code. Finally, eSIMs will also have a PIN code and a PUK code, necessary to unlock them.
The advantages of eSIMs
The advantages of having a virtual SIM on the phone are several: it will be easier and faster to change operator, in case of theft or loss of the phone it will be possible to lock the SIM more quickly and, finally, telephone operators will save money by not having to produce physical SIMs.