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Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

arstechnica.com

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Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#151

Post by jaclaz »

izacus wrote: post #85
Reason077 wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "But it’s disappointing all round. I absolutely love how easy it is for me to buy a new phone, swap in my old SIM and I’m instantly using my old number." In theory, with an eSIM it's even easier to swap in your old SIM because you don't have to deal with the physical SIM card. Especially so if you don't have the physical SIM because it's lost or whatever. In my experience it's super frustrating to have to wait for…

> In theory, with an eSIM it's even easier to swap in your old SIM because you don't have to deal with the physical SIM card. Especially so if you don't have the physical SIM because it's lost or whatever. In my experience it's super frustrating to have to wait for a new SIM to arrive in the mail because you lost it or the old one is faulty! In practice however, they can be a customer hating disaster. Some telcos her…

Not only, the whole stuff about eSim (and iSim) might be an issue when you have a problem on your hardware (phone):

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33121530

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32138466

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#153

Post by dmix »

xyst wrote: post #146

So if the iSIM goes bad or stops functioning. Instead of replacing the SIM or eSIM chip. Now you have to replace the entire SoC because of one faulty component. Good for phone designers (as mentioned, more space for other components). Amazing for phone manufacturers because it pushes more units when a device goes bad. Bad for consumers because repairability is significantly reduced. Terrible for the environment.

How is this different than any other thing used in an SoC? Do you just not like SoCs?

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#154

Post by TeMPOraL »

bpfrh wrote: post #129
coretx wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

By EU law, the vendor of the phone has to provide updates for N year. There is no such regulation for SIM cards. ( Provided by telco's ) This means the vendor of the phone, not the telco, can simply say "we did our N years of updates", rendering the phone useless as esim requires it in order to function. It's beyond the power of the telco, because it did not provide the esim. It's not a "SIM lock", it's far more devi…

That could be bad, I would have never thought of that implication. I'm not sure that would happen wouldn't most telcos be interested to allow as many users on the network as possible?

People whose devices get obsoleted by eSIM won't suddenly drop off the grid - they'll go and buy a new phone, because being on the mobile network is almost a requirement in most of the world these days.

With the above in mind, note that it just so happens that telcos sell mobile devices as well as the service. This means they'll make money on increasing device churn.

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#155

Post by efdee »

pilif wrote: post #125
goosedragons wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How much more complicated and annoying is the process if you're going iPhone to Android or Android to iPhone? You take the SIM card out before handing it someone else.

you scan the QR code with your android phone. That will cause your existing phone to be unregistered. What eSIM does is turn the physical smart card into a QR code which can be shown on a screen in addition to being printed on a piece of physical paper.

In my experience, you need the old phone to scan something in order to unregister the eSIM. Might be that it depends on the carrier, not sure.

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#156

Post by lxgr »

mFixman wrote: post #133
chris_overseas wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> eSIMs are a massive win when travelling, too. Instantly activate a data plan at cheap local rates in whatever country your travelling to, without having to first get your hands on a physical SIM... For many years I've owned dual-SIM phones and on many occasions have bought a local SIM a the airport or corner store when travelling for a week or more to countires outside my roaming allowance. This is almost always ch…

My experience is very different than yours. I think you are getting scammed: airport SIMs are way more expensive than actual SIMs you get in town and eSIM you get on an app like Airalo. International providers are obsolete in the age of the eSIM, since you can get a local provider at the click of a button. eSIMs are still a bit more expensive than physical SIMs you buy in a phone shop far from any airport... but that…

> airport SIMs are way more expensive than actual SIMs you get in town

That's definitely not true for many of the places I've visited. Additionally, the airport SIM shops are often the only retailers that know how to register/KYC SIM cards with international passports and/or where the staff speaks English.

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#157

Post by grishka »

I get all the objections, but — eSIM is extremely convenient for traveling, when you just want data in another country. You can have many of them stored in your phone and activate them as needed if you travel a lot. You also get dual-SIM on most devices so you don't have to carry a second phone for your domestic number.

I'd never replace my actual SIM with one though. I can't bring myself to trust software this much.

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#158

Post by lxgr »

worewood wrote: post #119
messe wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you think would stop them from doing this to a phone using a physical SIM card? I don’t see how an eSIM makes a difference in this scenario.

Because doing that on a phone with a physical SIM does not have a plausible justification. But with a software-based solution, they can argue that due to the lack of updates your device is now vulnerable and your SIM can be cloned, spoofed and so you should get rid of it. With a physical SIM those hacks are not possible even if I'm on a 20 yr old dumb-phone, because all the auth logic resides in the SIM itself.

> With a physical SIM those hacks are not possible even if I'm on a 20 yr old dumb-phone, because all the auth logic resides in the SIM itself.

Not nearly all parts of authentication and encryption happen in the SIM, and older generation phones are regularly deprecated (most recently for CDMA in the US and 3G in Germany for example, but also for non-VoLTE-capable devices on some networks in the US).

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#159

Post by jaywalk »

grishka wrote: post #157

I get all the objections, but — eSIM is extremely convenient for traveling, when you just want data in another country. You can have many of them stored in your phone and activate them as needed if you travel a lot. You also get dual-SIM on most devices so you don't have to carry a second phone for your domestic number. I'd never replace my actual SIM with one though. I can't bring myself to trust software this much.

I've been SIM-free for a while now. It Just Works™

Re: Qualcomm wants to replace eSIMs with iSIMs, has the first certified SoC

#160

Post by nobrains »

grishka wrote: post #157

I get all the objections, but — eSIM is extremely convenient for traveling, when you just want data in another country. You can have many of them stored in your phone and activate them as needed if you travel a lot. You also get dual-SIM on most devices so you don't have to carry a second phone for your domestic number. I'd never replace my actual SIM with one though. I can't bring myself to trust software this much.

I do the opposite. eSim for my primary sim. And then the sim for travelling sims, as not all countries or not all providers in those countries have esims. And if they do then esim it is. Otherwise the free sim slot is available for a physical sim.
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