Rain & 1GLOBAL partnership Launched First eSIM Service in South Africa 

1GLOBAL was proud to be part of telecoms history when in 2019 it partnered with Rain to make them the first South-African based network provider to offer eSIMs. 

The very first of its kind in the South African market, the service was powered by 1GLOBAL’s industry-leading remote SIM provisioning platform. This intuitive SIM provisioning system allows mobile operators to work with eSIM without a lengthy onboarding process. 

Seamless provisioning

Partnership with 1GLOBAL’s allowed Rain to provide its customers with seamless and efficient SIM provisioning experience, directly through their devices,  becoming the first regional carrier to do so. 

1GLOBAL’s fully secure GSMA-accredited eSIM provisioning platform connected Rain’s network simply and easily, over-the-air, to customers using any enabled device. This included the contemporary generation of smartphones that were popularizing eSIM technology, including the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and Google Pixel 3. 

Unlike traditional SIM manufacturers, whose model continues to hamper innovative operators, 1GLOBAL’s disruptive commercial model allows operators to rapidly deploy service without any significant set up cost and no upfront usage fees. This removes the barrier to entry for eSIM uptake and continues to fuel the digital revolution. 

eSIM game-changer

As the fastest growing 4G network in South Africa, this move by Rain put eSIM technology directly into the hands of its customers. The new generation of devices with integrated eSIM chips were completely changing how customers interact with their mobile operator. No longer did people need to go to stores to get plastic SIM cards provisioned by individual operators. Instead, they were doing it directly from their device which was a natural step in line with Rain’s digital-first business model. 

I was delighted to see Rain joining a rapidly growing number of operators on our platform, spearheading the move towards eSIM in mobile technology in South Africa. We created a partnership that ultimately gave the customer greater power over their own mobile connectivity. Rain has built an admirable and innovative business model for the South African telecommunications market. Offering eSIM services was the next major step in their journey. At 1GLOBAL, we’re keen to develop partnerships with companies with similar ambitions to accelerate their growth, and we were delighted to add Rain to our portfolio of mobile operators onboarded with the 1GLOBAL eSIM technology

Ralph Steffens1GLOBAL CEO

Find out more about 1GLOBAL eSIM technology here.