What are iSims, how they differ from eSims and what they mean for smartphones
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Qualcomm and Thales, in collaboration with Vodafone, announced the certification of the world’s first iSim based on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform. What is it about? Of a technology that takes the concept of eSim even further.
Electronic SIMs are digitized rate plans, unrelated to the physical card that we have become accustomed to for decades, managed by a specific chip, while in the iSim processors (the acronym stands for integrated SIM) all mobile connectivity features are housed within the SOC, i.e. the integrated circuit that acts as a brain for the smartphone. Information such as the unique identification code and the IMSI, i.e. the International mobile Subscriber identity, are therefore usable by any operator for quick and easy switching of the tariff plan.
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The differences: more space in smartphones
At first glance, for the user, the difference may appear negligible: in both cases the Sim is virtual, ie we no longer have the physical card, and so to speak stored in the phone’s chips. In the eSim there is a separate form, in the iSim those data find space directly in the SOC. In doing so, however, precious space is opened up in the design phase, obtained from the elimination of the dedicated chip and all the mechanics for managing the physical SIMs (such as the tray still present in all phones except on the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro sold in the USA), to be able to implement new features or simply upgrade existing components. For example, by fitting a larger battery or a neural chip to support ever-faster performance powered by artificial intelligence. Suffice it to say that a chip dedicated to eSims currently measures 6×5 millimetres, while the footprint of the system to manage a nanoSim almost doubles.
The benefits for connected gadgets
Not only that: having a virtual SIM that can be managed directly at the microprocessor level it allows for an even deeper extension of connectivity into everyday objects. Where the theme of the space available to planners, designers and manufacturers is even more important. We could therefore witness, more than what is already happening, an expansion of the connectivity of objects via mobile networks (and not wifi), perhaps with a series of package tariff plans dedicated to a certain number of gadgets and linked to a main telephone and/or data subscription, as indeed made possible by the eUicc management standard (ie Embedded universal Integrated circuit card). Even very popular accessories, such as smartwatches, would gain small but precious volumes in terms of design, size and therefore ultimately the functionality and features offered to the user.
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How many devices will support iSims and when
According to the analysis agency Kaleido Intelligence, iSims are expected to be used in over 300 million devices (of all kinds, not just smartphones) by 2027. Qualcomm has also underlined that iSim technology complies with the GSMA Remote Sim Provisioning standard, which allows people to activate services and subscriptions remotely, simply by choosing a supplier and more suitable offers: also in this case, speeding up even more than is possible with the eSims transition from one floor to another.
The beginning will evidently be linked to the diffusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the next flagship models of oppo, those of the Find X6 family. It could take a couple of years for today’s flagship SOCs to scale towards cheaper models, expanding support for iSims.
But the iSims, i.e. the integration of mobile connectivity data in the heart of the system, are also something else: come on production costsrelated to the cutting of the assembly processes and the need for one less component and therefore also to the working times, passing through the efficiency of the device in terms of autonomy up to the security dictated by memorization of mobile connectivity information directly into the SOC. At the moment Qualcomm and Thales have not announced which models will actually use the iSim first.
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