Embedded Subscriber Identity Module eSIM

Excerpt

The embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) is a “small trusted hardware component, which may be soldered into [..] devices […], to run the secure network access application(s) […] and enable the secure changing of subscription identity and other subscription data” (GSMA 2011, p. 4). The eSIM performs the same task as a traditional SIM, which is the identification and authentication of users seeking access to a mobile radio network. However, with the eSIM, a user’s identification module is no longer personalized for a single application at the time of the card’s manufacturing. Instead, the eSIM relies on a late personalization process, which is carried out remotely over the air when the access seeker calls up eSIM functions for the first time and subsequently (Oberender 2015). Thus, eSIMs enable users to (1) switch between multiple contracts and/or providers on a single appliance without having to exchange a hardware component and (2) employ multiple appliances with one contract without the need to manage the integration of various SIM cards functioning independently. …