Big eSIM win for smaller operators in South Africa – MyBroadband

At least five South African mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) started offering prepaid eSIMs online since mid-2023, while the country’s major mobile operators all require prepaid subscribers to visit a physical store to get one.

An eSIM or embedded SIM is a digitalised SIM card that eliminates the hassle of inserting or removing physical SIM cards to switch between mobile packages or phone numbers.

The technology is enabled through a built-in chip in a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, or other electronic device.

eSIMs make it simple for new users to sign up to a network without getting a physical SIM at a store or waiting for it to be delivered to their chosen address.

One of the big benefits of an eSIM is that it can be bought and downloaded from a website or mobile app and activated on-device.

That makes eSIMs ideal for travellers who can take up an eSIM plan on apps like Airalo or Maya Mobile rather than using roaming on their regular packages or having to buy a physical SIM card in a store upon arrival at their destination.

eSIM-enabled phones can store numerous eSIMs at the same time, allowing users to jump from one network to another to find which offers the best service in a given scenario.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 lets users load up to 20 eSIMs, although only two can be active simultaneously.

However, accessing those two networks is easier than when using a physical dual SIM phone, as the user can just tap to activate or reactivated a particular eSIM, there is no need to remove or insert physical cards.

The first smartphones to support eSIM rolled out by Google in 2017 and the technology has since seen rapid uptake, proving particularly popular in the US.

The country’s leading phone maker, Apple, stopped selling US iPhone models with a physical SIM card slot in 2022.

In more recent times, several mid-range smartphones have launched with eSIM capability, opening up the feature to a wider market outside of flagship users.

Stunted support on main networks

In South Africa, all but one of the five mobile networks offer some form of eSIM support.

While they initially only supported eSIMs for contract customers, Vodacom and MTN added prepaid eSIMs in 2023.

That only came after Cell C and Telkom launched the service for all their customers.

Telkom has told MyBroadband that it now has over 90,000 active eSIM users on its network, about three years after launching support.

The only mobile operator that has yet to launch any eSIM capabilities is Rain, which at one point looked like it would become the first network to offer eSIM support in South Africa.

In mid-2019, one of the network’s major investors — Michael Jordaan — posted on Twitter (now X) that Rain would launch eSIMs “soon”. He has since deleted that post.

None of the four major networks allow customers to buy prepaid eSIMs online, negating one of the biggest advantages of eSIM technology.

However, several newer and much smaller MVNOs support the capability — including Afrihost Air Mobile, Melon Mobile, Me&You Mobile, uConnect, and Spot Mobile.

These MVNOs use the infrastructure of MTN and Cell C to offer their services, ensuring they have good coverage and network speeds.

Several of them also offer free allocations of data, voice minutes, and SMS messages with a customer’s first eSIM sign-up, providing further incentive for mobile users to try an alternative to one of the big networks.

The table below provides a summary of the state of eSIM features and fees among South Africa’s major mobile networks.