As an important evolution direction of telecom card technology, eSIM technology has been commercialized in many countries around the world, and has formed a relatively complete industrial ecological environment. However, eSIM technology and its commercial application still face new challenges in terms of standardization and data security. On the premise of ensuring availability and security, maximizing the advantages of eSIM cards has become a common concern of all parties in the industry chain such as governments, operators, card vendors, chip vendors, and terminal manufacturers.
On May 8, 2025, in order to promote the standardization and high-quality development of China's eSIM industry, the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (hereinafter referred to as "CAICT") Taier Terminal Laboratory organized and held the "Intelligent Connection of Everything, One Card Departure - eSIM Technology Industry Seminar". At the meeting, the "Research Report on Hot Issues in the eSIM Industry (2025)" was officially released, and Zhong Nan of the Thiel Terminal Laboratory of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (hereinafter referred to as the "China Academy of Information and Communications Technology") gave an in-depth interpretation of the report.
The report first comprehensively analyzes and sorts out the development of global telecom card technology in terms of product development history and product classification, and introduces the development status of eSIM at home and abroad from five aspects: standards, applications, regulations, markets and industrial chains. The report deeply studies the technical and industrial hotspots in the current eSIM development process, clarifies the challenges and impacts of these hot issues on the eSIM industry, points out the opportunities and challenges faced by the development of China's eSIM industry, and looks forward to the future development of China's eSIM.
Key takeaways from the report
1. The application of eSIM technology in the international market has taken shape. In the field of consumer electronics, eSIM is widely used in products such as smartphones, smart watches and tablets; In the field of Internet of Things, eSIM technology has great potential in the fields of Internet of Vehicles, smart cities, smart homes, and smart healthcare. Telecom operators in many countries around the world have launched eSIM-enabled services, driving the widespread adoption of this technology around the world. With the popularization of 5G networks and the deepening of application scenarios, the application scope of eSIM technology will be significantly expanded.
2. Mobile phones/tablets apply eSIM to bring more flexibility. The use of eSIM technology in mobile phones and tablets can not only save a certain amount of space, bring more flexibility to the design of mobile phones and tablets, but also enable users to complete number activation and package selection through the operator's online services, and realize the switch between operators. At present, the number of smartphones and tablets that support eSIM technology is increasing around the world, and the number of mobile network operators that have launched eSIM services for mobile phones and tablets is also increasing.
3. China's eSIM industry chain has a complete structure and a huge market space. With the promotion and application of eSIM technology in China, the number of consumer electronics users in China has grown steadily, and the application of the Internet of Things has also developed rapidly. At the same time, all links of China's eSIM industry chain have formed a complete industrial layout, covering major fields such as chip design and manufacturing, module research and development, platform services, terminal equipment and basic telecom operators, and jointly actively explore and promote the innovation and application of China's eSIM technology.
4. China's eSIM telecom card industry ushered in a period of development opportunities. Driven by important national strategies such as new industrialization and network power, eSIM technology is transforming from "wearable device-specific technology" to "global digital base". In the future, the eSIM industry will focus on ecological openness, strengthen technology integration and cross-border collaboration, give full play to the role of eSIM as an "invisible bridge" for the high-quality development of the digital economy, and provide Chinese solutions for the evolution of global communication technology.
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