UAE telecom operator du to introduce eSIM services

UAE telecoms operator du will soon offer eSIM services to customers for watches, smartphones and M2M devices, it announced on Sunday on the sidelines of Gitex.

The offering comes as part of an agreement signed with Munich-based Giesecke+Devrient Mobile Security for its AirOn eSIM management solution.

Du – part of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC) – said the eSIM services will very soon be commercially available for consumers.

The company said it will become the first telecommunications service provider in the Middle East region to offer eSIM services to its customers over smartphones.

An eSIM is an embedded SIM card, which removes the need for a physical SIM card.

While devices such as the Apple’s iPhone XS and XS Max offer the option, it has to be supported by the telecoms carrier and enabled by them.

Also read: Revealed: Pricing, GCC availability of Apple’s iPhone XS, XS Max, XR, Watch 4

Saleem AlBlooshi, chief infrastructure officer, EITC, said: “Individual and enterprise customers increasingly rely on multiple devices for myriad reasons and with eSIM, it’s a much more simplified experience.

“We believe that eSIM will accelerate the growth of IoT and M2M in the UAE by providing a single de facto standard for remote SIM provisioning.”

The service will allow users to connect a device to the du network in a shorter time and also offer an overall simplified handling and reliable experience, a statement said.

The eSIM technology also has advantages for du as a telecom service provider as it opens up new business models. Key benefits include connecting to different implementations of IoT and M2M for consumer and enterprise devices, and cost reduction for logistics and handling of legacy SIM cards.

“From our experience, the consumer market is the most significant driver for eSIM and IoT,” stated Ali Sabetian, managing director of G+D Mobile Security.

“With our platform, operators can be more agile and scale quickly to the need of the IoT.”