What is eUICC vs. eSIM?
In cellular-connected devices, the SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) contains the credentials or subscription needed to access the service of a particular MNO (Mobile Network Operator) or MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator). Since the beginning of GSM, the SIM has been the property of the MNO or the MVNO, creating a lock-in effect. There is a permanent relationship with the network carrier, since the SIM won’t work with the subscriptions of other carriers. If you want to change your carrier, you have to change the SIM, too.
However, this is changing. A new kind of SIM, which can be remotely provisioned to work with a new subscription, gives the customer ownership of the SIM. The SIM becomes just another part of the device, like the power source or the user interface, and is controlled by the user.
This new kind of SIM, referred to either as an eSIM (Embedded SIM) or an eUICC (Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card), works with any operator subscription in any part of the world, supports multiple subscriptions, and can be programmed to change subscriptions, as required, with an OTA (Over-The-Air) update. The eSIM is a significant shift in how you manage cellular connectivity, because it lets you change service providers without swapping out the SIM or having any other physical access to the device.
The terms “eSIM” and “eUICC” are used interchangeably in the market, however “eSIM” can refer to the entire solution for permanently deploying a reprogrammable SIM card, including the hardware, software and management platform needed for deployment. The term “eUICC” can refer only to the specific technology on the SIM itself. This can be an important distinction, because eUICC technology can be placed in a SIM that is soldered into the system (for a truly embedded SIM) or made part of the more traditional plastic form factor SIM. Remote provisioning capabilities, enabled by eUICC technology, can be added to any SIM form factor (2FF, 3FF, 4FF, MFF2), and can be used in any operating environment, fromautomotive and industrial to consumer.
