The concept of eSIM has been around for a while but tech giant Apple brought the technology to the forefront by eliminating a physical SIM card slot in its latest iPhone 14 lineup. While Apple’s decision to remove the SIM card slot is exclusive to the USA for now, it is only about time that other countries like India and more also see this change. eSIM is not a new concept for India as carriers like Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone have been providing them for a while. However Indian users are yet to fully embrace it. Before I tell you how to activate an eSIM on your device, let’s have a look at what eSIM actually is.
What is an eSIM?
The eSIM in the simplest terms is a virtual SIM card. It stands for Embedded-Subscriber Identity Module and is a type of SIM that is embedded onto a device virtually. Readers should note that it is not possible to have a physical SIM card and an eSIM for the same mobile number. Once an eSIM is activated, a physical SIM with the same number does not stay operational. While regular SIM cards can hold a single profile for each customer, an eSIM can hold multiple profiles. Another thing to note is that users cannot physically replace eSIMs like SIM cards. One upside to eSIM-exclusive smartphones is that if stolen, no one can swap the SIM card for another one and use the device as their own. However, one downside to having an eSIM is that if a smartphone is ever damaged then a user cannot simply swap the SIM card for an instant replacement.
How to activate an eSIM on Jio India?
- Note down your device’s IMEI and EID number
- Send SMS – GETESIM with the 32-digit EID number and 15-digit IMEI to 199 from your Android device having an existing Jio number
- You will receive a 19-digit eSIM number and profile configuration details
- Send another SMS to 199 with the 19-digit eSIM number
- You will get an update about the eSIM process after 2 hours
- After receiving the message, confirm it by sending ‘1’ to 183
- You will receive a call on your Jio number asking you to share the 19-digit eSIM number
- Your eSIM will be shortly activated
How to activate eSIM on Airtel?
- Make sure your email ID is registered with Airtel to activate your Airtel eSIM
- Send SMS- eSIM (space) registered email address to 121
- You will receive a reply message from 121 to confirm your activation
- Reply to the SMS with ‘1’
- You will then receive another message from 121 to provide consent through a call for eSIM activation
- Once done, you will receive the final message from 121 for a QR code which will be sent to your registered email address
