China Finally Dips Its Toe Into the Smartphone eSIM Waters
You’ve heard the news. Last week, China Unicom, China Mobile and China Telecom announced that they have officially received approval for a commercial trial of eSIM service for mobile phones.
But what does that mean? What are eSIMs? What are the benefits? Can foreigners use them in China? Here’s a quick rundown of a few of the questions you may have about this (exciting? long-overdue?) new development in China’s mobile technology scene.
What Are eSIMs and How Are They Different From Regular SIM Cards?
Let’s start with the basics. A SIM (“subscriber identity module”) card is a small chip device that is inserted into a special slot in your phone that enables your phone to connect to your mobile carrier’s network.
An eSIM, on the other hand, is that same chip technology embedded (the “e” in the name stands for “embedded”) in the hardware of your phone.
China is not completely new to eSIM technology, however. Support for eSIMs in wearable devices came to China all the way back in 2018.
What Devices Are Covered in This Newest Implementation?
Currently, only the newly released China-specific iPhone Air (model A3518) can activate domestic eSIMs, and it must be running iOS 26.1 or later. The China version of the iPhone Air officially launched on Oct 22.
In response to the enormous pre-launch demand for the iPhone Air, domestic phone manufacturers such as Huawei and OPPO announced that they would be launching eSIM phones in the future as well.
Can Other Versions of the iPhone Air Use Domestic Chinese eSIMs?
No. The other three models of the iPhone Air – North America and affiliated regions (A3260), Japan (A3516) and International (A3518) – hereafter collectively referred to as “international versions,” cannot install eSIMs from domestic carriers on the Chinese mainland.
The domestic version of the iPhone Air that has recently launched is China-specific precisely because (along with some other functionality restrictions) it contains a special, pre-installed certificate that is necessary for normal activation and use of domestic eSIMs from the three major domestic mobile carriers.
The international versions of the iPhone Air do not come with this special certificate pre-installed, and the certificate cannot be installed after the fact. So, while the situation may change in the future, currently, the international versions of the iPhone Air are not compatible with domestic eSIMs.
What Are the Advantages of eSIMs?
Smartphone eSIM technology promises a number of advantages.
- It’s more convenient
- Changing numbers is easier
- Different carriers on the same phone
- Switching to local carriers when traveling is easier
- No physical card saves space, phones can be lighter and it enables better waterproofing
- New internal configuration possibilities for mobile phones
- The same number can be shared between a user’s phone and their wearables
- More cost-effective for the producer, seller and consumer
What Are the Disadvantages of eSIMs?
The main selling point of the eSIM may also be one of its biggest drawbacks. Because the eSIM mechanism is physically “locked” to the physical phone, if, for whatever reaso,n you need to get a new phone, you would need to deactivate your eSIM in the old phone and then reapply for it in the new phone. With a physical SIM card, you can just pop out the SIM in the old phone and pop it into the new phone.
With this in mind, Apple has stated that it will launch a fast conversion function for eSIMs in the future for the Chinese mainland. With this function, domestic iPhone Air users would be able to activate an eSIM on a device and then migrate the activated eSIM to a new device without needing to go in person to a mobile carrier's physical location. But it’s still not exactly clear if and when this feature will appear.
There are also possible security (both personal and national) issues that may arise from the integration of mobile connectivity in the hardware of the phone itself and that officials will certainly be monitoring and dealing with as they arise.
And as an aging Millennial Battlestar Galactica fan, I suppose I am inherently distrustful of even more devices with a connectivity component that cannot be easily removed. But, then again, perhaps this concern is unfounded…
Roll-Out Expectations
Ease of Changeover
While, theoretically, once one has an eSIM on their phone they will be able to switch numbers and carriers without having to venture out to a physical store, currently to obtain an eSIM, one must go in person with a reservation to a mobile carrier store.
And frustratingly, though perhaps also not totally unexpected, when upgrading a SIM to eSIM, you still have to go to the place of your original number. This means that, for example, if you got your number in Beijing ten years ago but then moved to Fujian some time in the intervening decade, and you now want to upgrade to eSIM with the same number, you’ve got to physically go back to Beijing to do this.
Some cities have set up a door-to-door service, where a worker will come to your home to set up your eSIM. Oftentimes, setup occurs via the customer scanning a QR code. Carriers have, however, so far declined to post this code online or send it directly to customers, citing security concerns and insisting the activation must happen in-person at a store or with a service representative.
Similarly, if, for whatever reason, a user does not wish to use their number or an eSIM any longer, they cannot simply delete the eSIM from their phone. They must go physically into the store to deactivate their phone number/package.
Limitations
Currently, iPhone Air users may activate only up to two domestic eSIMs per phone. One user cannot hold more than five valid SIMs from a single mobile carrier, and the total number of valid SIMs held by the same user from all carriers cannot exceed ten. Additionally, international eSIMs cannot be added to the iPhone Air while the user is still in China because of the geofencing mechanism placed in the domestic models; to add international eSIMs, the user must physically leave China and add the international eSIMs abroad.
There are conflicting reports, however, about what happens when it comes to adding international eSIMs to the iPhone Air, beyond the limit of two domestic eSIMs. Some sources say that this is not possible, and that if a user traveling abroad wishes to add a local eSIM to their iPhone Air but they already have two eSIMs on their phone, they must first delete one of their domestic eSIMs. In this scenario, if upon returning to the Chinese mainland, the user wishes to restore that original domestic eSIM that was deleted, they must reapply to activate that eSIM.
However, other sources, citing Apple’s own technical information and information received from mobile carrier personnel, speculate that the domestic iPhone Air should only be able to add (abroad) an additional six international carrier cards, bringing the total number of eSIM supported cards to eight, the same as international versions of the phone, without the need to delete domestic cards.
In any case, the recent release of the domestic iPhone Air will help provide a more accurate understanding of what is and is not possible with smartphone eSIMs in China.
Who Can Get Domestic eSIMs on Their Phone?
It depends on the carrier.
China Unicom:
- Mainland residents – supported documentation: ID card, household registration, passport
- Individuals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan – supported documentation: travel permit (通行证), residence permits (居住证)
- Foreigners – supported documentation: permanent residence ID cards (永久居留身份证)
China Mobile and China Telecom:
- Mainland residents – ID card
- Individuals from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan – residence permit only; passport not supported
- Foreigners – permanent residence ID card
This means that for most expats, obtaining a domestic eSIM is still not possible. But before you go feeling too left out again, this is surely a blessing in disguise. As with the adoption of any new technology, it will take some time to work out the kinks. By the time support opens up to us regular-degular expats, adoption will be (hopefully!) a lot smoother.
Is This the Future of Phones in China?
In all likelihood, yes. It’s important to understand, however, that this recent step is officially just a trial period. While it seems that, realistically, there can be no turning back, we are still in a sort of wait-and-see mode with regard to eSIM and eSIM+SIM phone integration in China as the situation takes time to develop and the country moves forward quickly yet cautiously. The release of the new domestic iPhone Air will finally give us concrete information about eSIM adoption, and we will continue to follow these developments.
Have you or people you know managed to get your hands on a new domestic iPhone Air? Do you have thoughts about eSIMs and the future of mobile technology? Want to just share your love of Battlestar Galactica? Let us know in the comments!
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