How Entitlement Server powers the iPhone's one-touch account transfer

As millions of YouTube videos will attest, there’s no feeling quite like unboxing a new iPhone. But for all the luxurious glossy cardboard and sleek new tech inside, the experience soon falls flat if you can’t get the device connected.

Traditionally, this used to mean a fiddly process of ejecting the physical SIM card from the old device and swapping it over to the new one, a task fraught with potential for loss, damage, or incompatibility.

The advent of eSIM (embedded SIM) tech simplified the process by digitizing the SIM card itself, and combined with Apple's eSIM Quick Transfer made the whole process into a virtually "one-click" experience, particularly for iPhone-to-iPhone upgrades.

This effortless transition is made possible by an advanced, intentionally low-visibility backend system known as an Entitlement Server (ES) provided by sophisticated telcos like 1GLOBAL, working in concert with a complex technological ecosystem.

Why develop one-click transfers?

Apple strives to make handset upgrades fast and easy, from transferring photos and apps to settings. A bigger obstacle was extending that signature ease to connectivity subscriptions. This requires sophisticated orchestration by Entitlement Server to deliver the ‘one-click’ iPhone experience.

This investment in extending the signature simplicity is no coincidence, and it’s not just an altruistic urge to make things nicer for the user. It’s a very deliberate strategic move by Apple. By making service transfer exceptionally easy, Apple reinforces the attractiveness of its ecosystem and puts as close to zero obstacles as possible in the way of a customer spending money on hardware upgrades that then keep them inside the ecosystem.

Furthermore, as Apple advances towards eSIM-only iPhones in more markets, features like Quick Transfer transition from being a convenience to becoming a strategic cornerstone, compelling Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to provide the supporting technologies, primarily Entitlement Servers.

The role of the Entitlement Server

At its core, an Entitlement Server in the telco landscape is a backend platform that manages a subscriber's permissions (‘entitlements’) to use specific services, features, or network capabilities on their devices.

Its role is far broader than just eSIM transfers, as it's involved in the automatic configuration of services like VoLTE or 5G, ensuring device-network compatibility, managing user permissions for various offerings, and synchronizing services across multiple devices, such as Apple Watch or other wearable hardware.  

In the context of Apple's eSIM Quick Transfer, the Entitlement Server is pivotal. When a user initiates a transfer, the ES validates the request, communicates with essential network elements like the MNO’s Subscription Manager Data Preparation (SM-DP+) system, and authorizes the deactivation of the eSIM on the old iPhone and the activation of the eSIM on the new one.

As far as the user is concerned, this looks almost like magic as the old phone powers down and the new one pops to life. In reality, the Entitlement Server acts as a crucial abstraction layer. MNO backend systems are sophisticated and complex, and Apple expects a consistent user experience for transfers across all carriers.

By adhering to Apple's specifications on the device-facing side and integrating with various MNO systems on the network side, the ES standardizes how these services are invoked. This means Apple’s iOS doesn't need to understand the unique API of every MNO's SM-DP+, as it just communicates with the Entitlement Server, which then handles all the carrier-specific interactions, ensuring a uniform experience.

This dynamic, device-aware service management capability marks a significant shift from static provisioning to real-time, context-aware service enablement, vital for MNOs to offer competitive, value-added services.

Automation and exchange

One of the most significant value-adds that the ES represents for both user and MNO is the sheer volume of automation that it enables. During an iPhone account transfer, the server will authenticate the user and device with the MNO's Business Support Systems (BSS) and Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) systems, possibly using a range of protocols.

It then orchestrates the profile delivery by instructing the MNO's SM-DP+, typically via secure HTTPS connections adhering to GSMA's TS.43 specification.

While the overall process aligns with the GSMA SGP.22 standard for consumer eSIM provisioning, Apple's Quick Transfer adds a sophisticated user experience layer. This represents an intelligent overlay on the standard GSMA architecture, enhancing the process through tight integration between iOS, the ES, and Apple's ecosystem services, rather than replacing core components like the SM-DP+.  

The security of this process is multi-faceted, involving device-level security within iOS and the eUICC's secure enclave, transport layer security for all communications, Apple ID-based user authentication, and the GSMA-mandated security for SM-DP+ interactions.

All this time, the Entitlement Server is also acting as a critical checkpoint, ensuring policy compliance and authorization. This robust security is vital, and the increasing availability of Entitlements-as-a-Service" (EaaS) is enabling even smaller MNOs and MVNOs to offer advanced, secure, and commercially appealing features that were once the preserve of large enterprise telcos.

1GLOBAL and KPN: An Entitlement Server case study

1GLOBAL recently provided Entitlement Server architecture and technological expertise for our longstanding mobile network services partner and Dutch mobile communications giant KPN.

KPN now offers customers One-Click eSIM subscription transfers between iPhones with the latest 1GLOBAL solution, complete with User Authentication and GSMA certificate Validation for iOS devices on the KPN network. With the 1GLOBAL solution, KPN customers don’t need to scan a QR code or contact customer support when switching devices.

Instead, our Entitlement Server provides instant iPhone functionality, complete with Apple Push Notifications (APNS-based readiness messaging), based on device silent-authentication (EAP-AKA) and phone number registration.

1GLOBAL’s One-Click solution is boosting KPN customers’ user experience and has enabled KPN to deliver rapid rollout and secure deployment of new specs as and when they’re released by Apple.

To provide your network customers with the most advanced and attractive services and future-proof your business model, contact 1GLOBAL today.