As the eSIM becomes more popular on smartphones, a new replacement for the traditional SIM card has already been announced: the iSIM, an equivalent built right into the phone chip.
Summary
You will have to get used to seeing smartphones without a drawer or SIM slot, that famous little electronic card associated with a package essential to communicate on a cellular network. And with good reason: for several years manufacturers and operators have been proposing to replace it with eSIM (contraction of embedded SIM, for integrated SIM or embedded SIM in French), an equivalent that takes place in a dedicated chip inside the smartphone. A development that is largely linked to a problem of space. And that will become even more evident in the coming years with the arrival of iSIM, the ultimate technology that will replace the classic SIM card…
eSIM: a SIM card integrated in the smartphone
Since space is essentially at a premium in a smartphone, manufacturers are trying to miniaturize every element – except the screen! – to integrate a maximum of components and sensors, as well as ever larger batteries, while preventing the devices from becoming too massive. And the SIM card does not escape this endless bitterness cure! Because even if it has become smaller and smaller over time – from the SIM format to the micro-SIM then to the nano-SIM – it takes up all the more space as it needs a housing in the form of a slot or a drawer. Hence the gradual generalization of the eSIM, that miniaturized version of the traditional SIM card that is soldered directly onto the motherboard and allows manufacturers to dispense with the SIM card tray – and thus save space for the components – allowing operators also makes it possible to change the information contained therein more easily and remotely (see our practice sheet).
The eSIM has been supported by many manufacturers for several years, especially in high-end smartphones. Apple has even taken a step forward as the iPhone 14 in the US no longer has a physical SIM card drawer, forcing its users to adopt the eSIM. And devices running Android could soon follow the same path! In fact, at MWC 2023 – which took place in early March – Google announced a new eSIM transfer feature for its operating system. Better support for the eSIM will therefore facilitate its use and encourage adoption of the technology. But the successor already seems to be on the scene, as Qualcomm and Thales launched an improved version called iSIM at the end of February.
Google aims to make it easier to transfer an eSIM from one device to another based on GSMA (Telecom Industry Association) and CSA (Conseil supérieur de l’audiovisuel) security standards. Later this year, “we will offer a new eSIM transfer feature for Android that will allow users to quickly and securely transfer their cellular plan to a new device without having to swap out a physical SIM card,” the digital giant announces. German operator Deutsche Telekom will be the first to adopt this new ecosystem feature. The company hasn’t shared any further details for now, but this announcement marks an important step towards replacing physical SIM cards with eSIMs.
©Thales
iSIM: a SIM card built into the processor
However, the eSIM seems to have already found a successor with the iSIM (Integrated Subscriber Identification Module). This technology works in the same way as the eSIM, but differs in its design. In fact, the eSIM is a separate component that is soldered onto the smartphone’s motherboard. On the other hand, the iSIM is integrated directly into the SoC – the main chip that integrates the CPU and GPU in particular. This allows the manufacturer to save space and thus integrate a larger battery or offer a thinner smartphone and reduce construction and logistics costs. Not to mention that it can directly benefit from the chip in which it is integrated!
The project for an iSIM card has been going on for a few years, but during MWC in late February, Qualcomm and Thales announced that they had developed an iSIM and integrated it into the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that will power today’s most high- End devices of the year 2023, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 or the Xiaomi 13. Better still, the iSIM has received the certification of the GSMA, which certifies that iSIM offers the same advantages for users in terms of security, flexibility and guarantees as eSIM . To award this certification, the organization focuses on three points: the iSIM must be as resistant to sophisticated attacks as the current eSIM chip; The delicate elements loaded onto them by chip and smartphone makers in their factories must be protected to avoid any degradation during manufacture; The iSIM must be compatible with the standards of the operators’ remote activation services.
©Thales
“Alongside the increasingly popular eSIM, the 5G iSIM from Thales gives device manufacturers and mobile operators even more freedom. This allows them to effortlessly offer their customers wireless connectivity and an increasingly interesting and accessible range of services,” explains Guillaume Lafaix, Vice President of Integrated Solutions at Thales. In this way, the user can have several subscriptions at the same time – for example, a professional and a personal one or for two countries. This technology appeals to users, operators and manufacturers alike. Their generalization should therefore be gradual. According to a study by Kaleido Intelligence, iSIM could absorb 19% of eSIM shipments or 300 million units in 2027. And the market for SIM card slots is colossal: in France alone, around 82 million conventional SIM cards were in circulation as of December 31, 2022.