The eSIM service, originally launched for convenience, is actually quite cumbersome to handle, even more cumbersome than a physical SIM card?
Last month, China Unicom, China Mobile, and China Telecom announced that the commercial trial of eSIM mobile phones has been approved, and users can go to their service halls to handle eSIM mobile phone services. ESIM (Embedded SIM) is a digital SIM card technology that directly integrates the functions of traditional SIM cards into device chips. Users can handle services such as network access, card replacement, downtime, and account cancellation without inserting or replacing physical SIM cards.
However, this new eSIM technology experience has disappointed many users. Recently, several users have reported on social media platforms that they have encountered many difficulties when handling eSIM services, including cumbersome processing procedures, limited business outlets for opening related services, and inadequate training for business personnel.
I changed my eSIM card mainly because I want to use iPhone Air. Personally, I think if there are no special requirements, ordinary users don’t need to change it. ”An eSIM user from Hangzhou told Sohu Technology that the domestic eSIM business is indeed immature and there is no difference in using it compared to physical cards. Especially when going abroad or repairing mobile phones, eSIM is more troublesome than physical cards.
Based on the overall feedback from users regarding eSIM services, there are still obstacles and long ways to achieve widespread implementation and application of eSIM in China.
Is eSIM more troublesome than physical cards?
It is reported that in January 2025, under the unified guidance of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the operator launched the construction of eSIM mobile phone business. In October, it was officially accepted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the business was officially released to the public.
It is understood that eSIM cards are permanently embedded in devices in the form of chips, which can solve the steps of inserting and unplugging cards and also facilitate the thinning of technology products such as mobile phones and watches. In addition, mobile phones have card slots that are prone to water ingress, and eSIM makes the phone more waterproof.
Industry insiders have stated that after removing the SIM card slot, terminals can save 30% of board level space, providing critical space for loading more chips, increasing battery capacity, or achieving thinner and lighter designs. Secondly, removing the SIM card slot can increase the overall waterproof rating of the terminal from IP68 to IP69.
At present, eSIM services mainly include network access, number portability, card replacement, and cross regional card replacement. As there is no physical card production cost, eSIM does not charge card fees.
The person in charge of eSIM business from Beijing Mobile told Sohu Technology that the user base of eSIM business mainly includes new network users, number portability users, and users who want to replace their physical cards with SIM cards. The communication services that can be enjoyed by physical cards can be enjoyed on eSIM mobile phones.
The mobile phone that supports eSIM must be the national version, otherwise it cannot be processed. In the past six months, we have been conducting frequent interaction tests with Apple, involving various aspects such as networks and services. Except for Apple, other domestic mobile phone manufacturers will gradually support eSIM. ”
From the perspective of processing procedures, eSIM processing is even more complex than traditional physical SIM cards. For example, if a physical SIM card user wants to “stay at home”, they only need to download the operator’s app to select the number, and then a courier will deliver the card to their doorstep. The user can hold their ID card and cooperate with verification to complete the process smoothly.
At present, eSIM related services must be handled in offline business halls. Users need to bring their eSIM mobile phone and ID card to the offline business hall, enter two serial codes including EMEI and EID, and the operator will verify the compliance of the mobile phone.
After meeting the conditions, the system will generate card data and display it on the screen in the form of a QR code. The phone can scan the code to download and write the SIM card, which is called “over the air card writing”. In addition, if users change their eSIM phone, they also need to bring their new phone and identification to the business hall to handle the card replacement service.
As a comparison, eSIM users in the United States only need to open the operator’s webpage, perform card selection and payment operations, scan the QR code on the webpage, activate the eSIM card, and the whole process only takes ten minutes without leaving the house.
What are the pitfalls of eSIM experience?
What has been the real feedback from users since the eSIM business promotion in October?
Several eSIM users told Sohu Technology that they had to go to the business hall several times before successfully handling the application, encountering various problems such as complicated processing procedures, few business outlets for opening related businesses, and inadequate training for business personnel.
A user from Shanghai told Sohu Technology that because it was a “beautiful phone number” from a different location, the staff required three phone numbers with call records within the past three months. However, their phone was only used to answer express and takeout calls, so the first attempt was unsuccessful. They made the necessary preparations for the second attempt before successfully completing the process. Another user from Henan stated that they had reported system malfunctions during their first two visits to the business hall, but it was not until the third visit that the process was successfully completed.
Yue Yue (pseudonym) comes from Hangzhou, and the process of handling eSIM business can be described as “ups and downs”. She told Sohu Technology, ‘I bought a second-hand iPhone Air and plan to apply for two eSIM cards. The first local card will be ready in five minutes.’. ”
However, when applying for the second remote card, the salesperson found that their phone kept reminding them that the application had failed every month. After investigation, it was found that the eSIM number of the previous owner still exists in the phone. Yue Yue only found out that the reason was that the previous owner had processed the eSIM service and directly restored the factory settings without logging out the number on the phone, resulting in the eSIM number still existing in the device but unable to be displayed or deleted.
Later, Yue Yue contacted the previous mobile phone user and asked him to add this eSIM as a physical number. He then went to the business hall to convert the second card into an eSIM and add it, which was considered a successful transaction. My situation probably exists because the user in front of the phone did not handle eSIM properly and directly restored the factory settings, so when they received it, there was an eSIM card inside but it did not display. ”
Yue Yue also stated that if you want to use eSIM for a long/fixed period of time in China, it is actually not as convenient as physical cards. The mobile salesperson also told me that eSIM has many drawbacks, especially when going abroad or when the phone needs maintenance. ”
For example, in China, a mobile phone can only open up to 2 eSIM numbers, which means that dual SIM users need to bring an additional phone to apply for a local card or buy a data package for their eSIM card when traveling abroad, resulting in much higher costs.
In addition, if there is a sudden accident, such as a mobile phone breaking down, it needs to be repaired. If the physical card is pulled out and replaced with a new phone, it can be “resurrected in place” without losing contact, but eSIM cannot achieve this.
Yue Yue candidly stated that the main reason for switching to eSIM is to use iPhone Air, and most users do not need to switch to eSIM. The development is indeed immature now, and it is not much different from using a physical card. Even when I go to apply for eSIM services, I have to go to a faraway business hall, and even small business halls cannot handle it. ”
ESIM is equivalent to a miniaturized cat pool
Many users are puzzled as to why eSIM only supports two numbers? Why is the process so cumbersome and must be done offline?
The person in charge of eSIM business at Beijing Mobile told Sohu Technology that these designs are all for security. According to the requirements of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, eSIM business needs risk management, as telecommunications fraud has always been a social focus issue.
If left unchecked, criminals can write countless phone numbers. Therefore, operators have implemented a series of controls to prevent criminals from using eSIM for illegal activities. ”
In fact, eSIM has been developing abroad for quite some time now. As early as 2018, Apple added eSIM capabilities to iPhone XR and other models (except Chinese Mainland), while the domestic eSIM mobile phone business developed relatively slowly, and operators only launched a number one dual terminal, independent SIM (Internet only) service for watches and tablets.
The reason why eSIM business has not been opened up in China before is still because physical cards are “one card, one number”. eSIM theoretically can achieve “one card, multiple numbers”, and even remotely configure numbers, which is easily used by criminals for telecommunications fraud.
Although eSIM services have been liberalized, domestic operators have still implemented relatively strict regulatory measures to protect the property and information security of users. Of course, this inevitably brings inconvenience to users, leading to complaints from many users.
Facing the future, balancing user convenience and security risks has become an unavoidable challenge for operators. The true popularization of eSIM will also move forward in sync with the upgrading of anti fraud technology and the continuous improvement of industry regulatory policies.
No comment content available at the moment