How remote SIM provisioning reshaped connectivity (Part I)

In our new two-part series, we explore the impact on Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) on every aspect of the telecommunications industry, from personal smartphones to connected industrial machinery.

Part 1 covers the origins of RSP and eSIM, and provides a closer look at the industry-wide response the transformative technology. 

The transition to eSIM has been one of the most significant telecommunications industry shifts since the launch of the iPhone.

First released in 2012, the eSIM (or embedded SIM) fundamentally changed how mobile operators can distribute, manage, and monitor SIM profiles for industrial IoT devices and personal mobiles.

Unlike a SIM card, an eSIM is a software-based SIM profile that is stored within a specialized microchip, known as an eUICC, hardwired into the body of the receiving device. eSIMs feature two crucial advantages over SIM cards: multiple eSIM profiles can be simultaneously stored on the same device, and eSIM profiles can be digitally distributed from anywhere in the world, rather than manually inserted via SIM cards.

This remote capability was initially developed for the IoT sector, where businesses were struggling with the requirement of physically inserting and replacing individual SIM cards for entire device fleets, many of which are often located in inaccessible or extreme environments. The new eSIM tech promised the ability to instantly distributes thousands of SIM profiles to entire fleets around the world.

It wasn’t long before eSIM crossed over to the consumer market, where it offered clear advantages for both customers and device manufacturers. Individual users could now download an eSIM profile from a provider, rather than keeping track of physical SIM cards, and instantly switch between different SIM profiles on the same device.

Today, eSIMs have progressed from a niche commercial interest to an essential telco requirement. Mobile operators must anticipate and respond to this surging demand with a sustainable eSIM distribution strategy that can quickly scale in future to match the projected rise in global eSIM requirements, without compromising on security or customer experience.

Doing so requires Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP).

What is Remote SIM Provisioning?

Remote SIM Provisioning is the process that has enabled the rise of eSIMs – it's the set of protocols by which operators ensure the correct SIM profile reaches the correct device, and continues to monitor and manage the eSIM throughout its lifecycle.

Read more in our beginner's guide to Remote SIM Provisioning.

RSP is divided into two branches: Consumer and Machine-to-Machine (M2M):

• Consumer RSP concerns eSIM profile distribution, management and recall for personal mobile devices, such as smartphones, laptops, tablets, and wearables. A consumer RSP system allows network operators and MVNOs to produce eSIMs, instantly distribute them to the correct devices around the world and monitor each SIM profile from a single centralized platform.

• M2M RSP concerns remote SIM provisioning for commercial and industrial connected devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) field. This covers the virtual over-the-air (OTA) distribution of eUICC SIM profiles to individual devices, as well as how these SIM profiles are managed, recalled and switched between operators. M2M RSP is an essential component of the contemporary IoT space

The impact of RSP and eSIM

The concurrent rise of RSP and eSIM among private and commercial users has reshaped the telecommunications industry. Nearly every legacy telco now operates their own eSIM department, while the market shift has also given rise to flexible, digital-first brands like 1GLOBAL, which focus on specialist eSIM and RSP expertise and preparing clients for the digital revolution.

The impacts of RSP are still ongoing: the new business models and opportunities the technology presents to operators are continually being explored.

As eSIMs permit mobile device to simultaneously store multiple SIM profiles, the user can instantly switch between network operators or SIM profiles in seconds via their Settings app. A notable use of this is when travelling abroad – users can simply switch to a local eSIM in their destination country to access mobile data without incurring roaming fees, as they would have if they had stayed using their local SIM from their regular service provider.

A major development that eSIMs have facilitated is the incorporation of mobile data plans in digital platforms outside of the traditional telecommunications sector, such as banking apps, airlines and credit card providers.

Digital-first companies like 1GLOBAL are able to integrate their eSIM and RSP solutions into nearly any digital platform, allowing a wide range of network operators, fintech apps and more the option to provide connectivity services to their customers.

For network operators, the wide range of eSIM applications and potential suppliers has encouraged new ways of engaging with customers.

RSP and customer retention

Two of the many benefits eSIMs offer consumers — namely, ease of installation and instant network switching — have redefined how telcos interact with their customers, from acquisition to retention.

It’s widely acknowledged that eSIMs have a vital role to play in any telco, and are set to become the most popular SIM format worldwide by 2028.

As with any market facing such acute growth, this transition provides the companies involved with new opportunities — and challenges. A central consideration, particularly for large-scale operators and multinational network providers, is how to adapt to this changing market to acquire and retain customers while safeguarding their core services, user experience, and security measures. Introducing scalable, flexible plans adds a new feature while simultaneously providing a smoother, simpler customer experience. This strategy allows telcos to broaden their offering and respond to market trends while maintaining customer loyalty and a familiar user experience.

In such a crowded field, it’s hard to overstate the importance of customer retention. Keeping hold of a customer, particularly in a hyper-competitive sector like telecommunications, is almost always more valuable than acquiring a new one. Mobile operators have traditionally relied on building long-term relationships with their customers. They now need to work harder than ever to maintain these relationships and stay one step ahead of the competition.

The flexibility and easy digital integration eSIMs offer means that they’re no longer the sole purview of mobile network operators: a wide range of customer-facing brands, from banking apps to airlines now offer eSIM connectivity plans. In 2025, telcos are competing with a far wider field of competitors than in the SIM card era.

The eSIM transition is rapidly gaining pace, and operators who fail to deliver large scale SIM provisioning services will lose customers to competitors with viable eSIM delivery channels.

In part II, we delve deeper into the new customer-vendor relationship RSP has created in the telecommunications space and explore how the industry is preparing for an eSIM-based future. Until then, you can learn more about 1GLOBAL's RSP offering here.