The Convenience of e-SIMs for Travelers in China and beyond

Introduction

Traveling around China is undoubtedly one of the best ways to experience life in China. You may find that Chinese people are generally a generous and friendly bunch. If you are a foreigner, you will likely find that people are more than willing to share their time and effort with you. Here are some top ways to stay connected when traveling in China.

China is, at the moment, the largest travel market in the world. And while in North America and Europe, a large proportion of travelers are travelers for leisure or business reasons, in China, the most significant proportion of travelers are traveling for work. With such a large number of travelers from both China and abroad, travelers are faced with the challenge of not having easy access to multiple service providers’ mobile services and applications on their devices as they are on the move.

One of the most exciting new developments in the mobile sector is the emergence of new devices, such as smartphone-based eSIMs. Although using the eSIM in combination with a virtual operator might not be that new, integrating these devices with multiple operators is. The current standard is operator-specific and requires users to use their devices from each operator they want to connect to, but eSIMs solve this problem.

eSIMs make travel more convenient for travelers.

In this article, I will examine the impact of eSIMs on travelers to China and beyond. But before we continue with the discussion, we should first look at the various challenges of traveling with a smartphone and what eSIMs can do to solve them.

The Four Biggest Challenges of Traveling with Smartphones

Traveling with a smartphone can be quite a hassle. As a rule, smartphones are designed to be used at home and not while on the move. In addition, with such a high number of mobile applications, smartphones are expected to work efficiently all day long, so many smartphones are not well equipped for travel. Even the most high-end smartphones are, in some areas, simply not suitable for traveling, and travelers need to consider these factors when they choose a phone for traveling.

Challenge 1: Data Caps and Battery

Although smartphones are designed for use at home, travelers still require data access. With such a large number of new mobile applications appearing every year, it is not unusual that travelers are downloading many mobile applications at any given time, even while on a train or in a meeting. While traveling, the availability of mobile services depends on the operators. However, many countries do not support using multiple operators’ mobile services simultaneously on a device. For example, in China, travelers are limited to the mobile data plan of the operator they are roaming on. This means that data caps and overage charges must be considered, making it tricky for travelers to stay connected all day long while traveling.

Challenge 2: Slow Internet Connections

Many travelers rely on their smartphones to search for their destinations, communicate with others, or quickly answer questions. However, many travelers find that their smartphones, even when connected to their mobile operators’ mobile data networks, don’t perform very well when searching the internet or uploading or downloading content. Often, even though an internet connection is available, users are still facing an incredibly slow connection, and they are thus forced to wait until the connection speed increases. This can lead to delays in finding destinations and the inability to use a smartphone for communication.

Challenge 3: Inability to Be Part of Global Networks

In the age of multiple operators, one of the most important factors is being connected to global networks. As stated before, travelers are sometimes required to use the mobile data plan of the operator they are roaming on. For this reason, it is sometimes tricky for travelers to connect to the mobile network of their home country if the network of the roaming operator is not available in their country. This can also be challenging for travelers to switch to a network of their home country.

Challenge 4: Data Cap

After having a smartphone with the mobile data plan of the operator that they are roaming on, it is often the case that travelers are not using all their mobile data allowance, and are having to delete applications and turn off data usage when roaming. In addition, some mobile applications require continuous connectivity to their backend servers, even when not used. This can result in a large amount of mobile data being consumed at a given time. By having a single data plan, users are forced to make data usage as efficient as possible or delete or turn off the mobile applications they no longer need. However, it is often difficult to distinguish between a mobile application that is being used and one that is not.

In this article, I will examine the impact of eSIMs on the four significant challenges of travelers with smartphones. This article is divided into three main parts, each containing several subsections. In the first part, we will look at the various types of eSIMs, including the dual standby type of eSIM. In the second part, we will discuss why eSIMs are such a convenient solution for travelers, while in the third and final part, we will examine the opportunities that eSIMs provide.

What are eSIMs?

eSIMs, short for Electronic Subscriber Identity Module, is an evolution of SIMs, short for Subscriber Identity Module. SIMs are cards inserted into a smartphone and allow the phone to communicate with mobile networks.

SIM cards are the core of the mobile communications industry. They are used in a wide variety of devices and are the technology behind the connection between the mobile network and the smartphone. SIMs contains the number of the phone number and its SIM account information, but they are also able to store a large number of apps and other data. A SIM is designed to work with just one operator’s network. The eSIM allows for one mobile phone to be able to connect to multiple operators’ networks. The smartphone will be able to connect to all the operators’ mobile networks simultaneously.

In a globalized world, where the number of smartphone users is increasing dramatically, SIM cards are no longer sufficient. Furthermore, unlike smartphones that existed several years ago, a smartphone today is expected to perform well and is often used to search for content and thorough communication. This, combined with the fact that many of the world’s mobile data networks are connected to the internet, allows for the use of multiple applications at the same time.

In China, this can lead to users downloading around 200 mobile applications daily. These mobile applications are then installed and run on the phone. This can require high bandwidth while simultaneously consuming a large amount of the phone’s battery and data storage. eSIMs can solve these issues as the SIM card can now be easily replaced with an eSIM. In combination with the usage of a virtual operator, this eSIM will have all the information necessary to connect to the multiple mobile networks available at a given moment.

Why are eSIMs such a convenient solution for travelers?

With an eSIM, a phone can be easily used with multiple operators at the same time. This is the main advantage that eSIMs have over a physical SIM card.

The eSIM can be easily installed into the smartphone and connected to multiple operators’ networks simultaneously. Users will need to use their phone with eSIM from the operator they want to connect to, and the phone will be able to connect to any operator’s network. An eSIM will replace the physical SIM card, which is as simple as removing the existing SIM card to replace one physical SIM card with one eSIM (non-physical) card.

This makes eSIMs extremely easy to use and allows for multiple mobile services at any given moment. Not only is it as simple as a physical SIM card, but it is also much more convenient than a physical SIM card. In my experience, with a physical SIM card, travelers have to change their SIM card, turn off their apps, and remove the card before leaving for a trip. This can be highly inconvenient and result in missed calls, SMS messages, and a slow response to emails.