To eSIM or not to eSIM...
I’m revising my position on the eSIM vs. pSIM debate.
Until now, I was strongly against eSIM. Nothing is simpler than taking a physical SIM (pSIM) out of one phone and sticking it in another. You can do it whenever you want and you don’t need your network’s blessing. The only down-side is a security risk: if someone steals your phone they can whip the SIM out of it to disconnect it from the mobile network so you can’t trace it. They can’t do that with an eSIM and they need to be able to unlock the phone to take it offline. Either that or break it, which defeats the purpose of stealing it in the first place.
Mobile networks are beginning to cotton on to the fact that their customers don’t want to give up this freedom to chop and change phones whenever they want. Customers vote with their wallets when they see something they don’t like, so the networks are making things easier for them.
The network that I was using only started supporting eSIM at all in August 2025 and even then, only for new customers signing up. A month later, there is still no self-service path to converting a pSIM with them to eSIM, nor is there a self-service way to transfer service to a new eSIM-compatible phone. You have to phone customer service and do battle with someone in India who barely speaks English and constantly misunderstands your intentions.
I moved away from that network specifically because of the absence of self-service ways to manage the SIM. Ironically, the old network and the one that I switched to are both MVNO owned by and running on the same network, but at least with this network I can sign up, download the eSIM and be up and running on the network within minutes. No need to wait for a pSIM to come through the post. I was also able to transfer an existing eSIM for another line with them to another phone with no interference.
The main reason why I was against eSIM is no longer an issue. It is now easy to transfer an eSIM from one phone to another. Yes, you need to go to the network’s website, so the network does still have some control over the process, but it’s not in the network’s interest to prevent you from transferring an eSIM because they know full well that you’ll only take your patronage elsewhere if they try and interfere.
It is now nearly as easy to transfer an eSIM as it is to transfer a pSIM. I am no longer against eSIM.
I am, however, against phones that are eSIM-only. It removes choice from the consumer. Choice of how to manage lines and devices. Choice of which networks can be used in the first place because not all networks support eSIM everywhere. Sadly, this is something that will only get worse.
The trend for eSIM-only phones started with Apple’s iPhone 14 series that was eSIM-only in the US but still had a SIM tray elsewhere. In 2025, the iPhone 17 series has expanded the eSIM-only policy to other territories (Canada, Mexico, Japan, parts of the Middle-East) and Google’s Pixel 10 range other than the 10 Pro Fold is eSIM-only in the US.
It is probably safe to assume that eSIM-only phones will be the norm a few years from now. The physical SIM’s days are numbered.
