New eSIMs Are Replacing Traditional SIM Cards for Mobile Phones | WSJ Tech News Briefing
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- čas přidán 16. 06. 2024
- U.S. cell phone carriers have long required SIM cards to let you use devices on their networks. Now, the traditional plastic SIM cards are being phased out in favor of embedded versions called eSIMs. The change could make switching carriers easier, and open up new possibilities for how phones are designed. WSJ personal tech reporter Dalvin Brown joins host Zoe Thomas to discuss the change and why it’s taken so long for eSIMs to be embraced in the U.S.
Photo: Thomas Trutschel/Photothek/Getty Images
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#eSIM #Phones #WSJ
No real users complained about popping in/out traditional SIM cards. Unless you’re a frequent international traveler and have a need to swap SIM cards often. Still, I haven’t touched SIM card slot since swapping new phone. That’s 3 years now. This change is not about what users ask.
It's all lies ...
It's about control ....
Just when you thought it couldn't get worse 😉
@dollydiddums7889 What's being controlled, why.
@@dianegreen1937no longer can you remove your SIM card and and disconnect yourself from the global positioning system, a.k.a., GPS
@@jamesjones9207 Thx.
The heck? This is regressing back to CDMA and GSM phones.
With SIM cards, you can swap unlocked phones without your carrier even knowing. Why open yourself up to getting charged by them to switch providers? Why surrender a dual-sim phone for work or international travel? Popping a nano-SIM card in once is no problem at all, and empowers the consumer with more flexibility.
Exactly! You can easily swap unlocked phones with a SIM. Something that hurts their business model. That's the real reason why they want to switch to eSims.
You're totally correct. There's not a problem with popping a SIM card. It's simple. They are trying to make it sound like it's hard. With a GSM It's easy to switch a phone. Now you going to have to call or go online with the carriers to give them your information. I would think that it's going to make it hard for you to switch from a iPhone to Android. Always trying to lock you into their ecosystem
Exactly! I buy nothing but unlocked phones. This just makes things more inconvenient for me
Hey, what is an unlocked phone?
Tech companies want more control SMH
Like putting in/ trading out a SIM card is hard. Sounds like another way to give big corporations more control and spying opportunities.
Are you a criminal? Why are you so scared of the government "spying" on you?
Exactly right It’s just to harvest data and prevent people from losing the trail
It's not just about it. Imagine you having to integrate a Sim into a smart watch. It being much smaller in the size, it can eat up a lot of space. Having an embedded Sim is much better and efficient.
@@yeshwanthvarre cdma networks didn’t use sim cards over a decade ago already
dont use mobile phone if you dont want corporations to spy on you
This is terrible, this just gives carrier companies the ability to lock you for ever.
Exactly
@@naturelover2292 this is some kind of CCP tactic
I have an esim but I don't like it. Swapping to another phone costs money, and on my 13 pro max dual sim actually drains much more battery.
That’s the fault of your carrier charging you for re-issuing a QR code, not the fault of the eSIM technology. Also, if you keep the original QR code they gave you you can just scan it again on your new phone. Additionally, iOS and Android have methods to wirelessly transfer the eSIM data to a new phone, no carrier interaction required.
Having dual SIMs will always drain more battery than having a single SIM, regardless of whether they are two physical SIMs, one physical one eSIM, or two eSIMs. Which makes sense, because the phone now has to maintain two cellular connections instead of only one.
That isn't an esim issue. That's the issue of using 2 sims at once.
So no cons listed for the consumer, who is the primary listener of this channel. I like how he downplayed the esims security issue
what security risk?
If finding a sim tray pin is hard, try to change your esim to another phone.
@@lightspeedbriefs This is not exactly true. Both eSIMs and conventional SIMs store a key on the device and another one on the carriers systems that are combined to identify the phone number.
Don't forget the obligatorily Apple product promotion.
Hmm I'm speckle about having esim they can get hacked as well as regular sim card
Imagine you travel to a country where they have not implemented the e-sim tech yet, then you're stuck with your dumb phone
The ultimate security is the ability to unplug the SIM card and battery.
Except now you might wonder if some “malicious” code can copy your SIM card id into esim (or “backdoor” a esim without your knowledge
You can erase an eSIM in literally a SECOND. Quick than you can eject a SIM card so this argument is invalid.
@@kitkinder6439 I am sure brilliant minds thought about it and did their best. And I don’t know nothing about this particular technology. But until proven wrong I can’t be sure there is no theoretical possibility to “keep it working”. Same way any other security flaw is hidden until uncovered.
@@Casyfill eSIM will be far more secure than the old SIM as it’s technology is many decades old, Nokia wanted to redesign a new sim they didn’t fancy the eSIM direction tho Apple preferred the nano direction to maintain compatibility if providers were not on board with Apple’s main plan that was eSIM tho today providers are slowing coming around tho still reluctant why providers don’t push eSIM despite most all phones today support it.
Tho with NET Zero and a push for reducing plastic waste it’s going to force them soon to start pushing it regardless how they feel about it while in the meantime they will no doubt be tweaking the eSIM standard to benefit them making it difficult for the end user to switch providers than what Apple has in mind.
Shh, you don't want that. You don't want to easily switch phones or batteries either. You want to have phones that are 1mm thinner.
Exactly there is a carrier I use now in the US and they charge me $20 for switching phones on eSIM. This is going to cause major issues with Carriers and locked phones. Also overseas everyone does not use esim. Esim is a good idea but only if you keep the physical SIM card tray as an option.
What carrier is that? Thanks!
E-sims help phones be "Smaller and more innovative"
More innovative in what way????
?
In spying and tapping you with the same phone and service.
I don't want an E-sim.
It is so rare to take out a sim, and honestly if you are careful it shouldn't be a problem.
You can't refuse new technology. You'll have to trade out your old phone for the new tech. Major FOMO
How about a larger battery coming with the removal of SIM card slots
@@ZY-cr7yg just make the phone 1-5 mm thicker, I use a phone case anyway, I don't care about a few millimeters of thickness
@@ZY-cr7yg They most likely will either next year or the year after, they have a spot for extra room without the sim tray, but can't add anything because of the lack of eSIM in Europe compared to the US. And from past experiences with I think Samsung, making one product in one region better than another is not good and they will get backlash.
Basically, with eSIM you can't go off-grid. The SIM card is a standalone computer that can continue to communicate with cell towers even though your phone is switched off. And now with eSIM, you can't remove it. If someone is tracking you, you need to throw away the phone.
hmm.. that is not true. But fact is Mobile phone has ID called IMEI. that is also can be used to track you, even you change your sim card. The simplest way is to use random IMEI generator with physical sim card.
@@fatcrruise6508 Where do you purchase a random IMEI generator ?
How much is the bounty on your head?
A lot of phones will have both a physical an slot and support esim. So you can have 2 lines. So for example you can use the esim for your regular line and a physical sim in the same phone for a travel line if you need to purchase a sim while you’re traveling.
Exactly the way they’ve been doing it for years now. So why is it suddenly a story? It’s not because they’re adding something it’s because they’re taking away the one thing that ties your ownership to advice. Now you have no physical proof that something belongs to you.
And you can have up to 10 eSIMs added
Probably a great idea in theory. But I wouldn't imagine it being very practical, particularly in emerging market countries. It's nice to have all this online and digital switching capability in the first world but imagine moving around a number of developing countries and trying to switch carriers digitally. It's unlikely that the infrastructure will even be in place for all that.
Presumably, it would be difficult where the mobile network is analogue.
Actually, it might be easier, since you can have essentially an unlimited number of eSIMs stored on you phone at a any time, so when you travel to a different country switching numbers/carriers is as easy as hopping into Settings and flicking a toggle.
@@MatejaMaric should be the case pretty soon. The question is how long will it take to reach that point
a phone can store many esims, and only activate the one you use.
This the best thing for emrging market like african countries because no anymore SIM swap fraud second good for saving when you need to have 2 mobiles carriers on one phone.
The carriers are doing it to serve themselves, not the consumer.
i have both my eSIM and SIM active. Not all phones can do dual eSIMs simultaneously yet so that's why a handful of people are hesitant on using just eSIMs.
User eSIMs on my Pixel. It's easy and convenient but it's a struggle migrating devices.
The issue with E Sims is privacy with a physical Sim card provides security remember Pegasus that would be done without you even noticing and with E Sim I can hack your information easily.
Barely. Your device is still trackable with IMEI
You sound like you know nothing about how technology works. What do you do for a living?
Thats nothing to do with privacy. A mobile phone non smartphone is still trackable dude. You just not consent about it
I personally like sim cards more than esims because of being able to change them out
I don't want phone companies to have more control
How does this give them more control?
It doesn't. sim or esim won't make much difference for carriers to control your data.
Don’t buy a phone .
If you that paranoid, don't use a phone 🤷
I'll train my new pegion🕊
That wasn't a reporter on the phone. That's clearly the AT&T marketing manager.
No thanks. Swapping from one esim to the other involves my providers approval.
Gives even more monopoly power to the big 3 carriers. We need to enforce antitrust against big tech.
Phones haven’t gotten any smaller despite removing SD cards, headphone jacks and now SIMs.
how does it?
I'm shopping for a phone and you're right there are 4 major carriers and 4 major phone company makers. My shopping for a phone is limited.
eSim won't allow you to easily change phones if you need to.
Just buy the phone network and factory unlocked so you can use it in any carrier I’m new to the esim
I'm from India. Recently my SIM card randomly malfunctioned after working properly for around 2 years. I went to the service provider outlet, gave ID proofs and within 5 mins had a new working SIM card for absolutely FREE. Just swapped out the old one with the new one and it worked properly. Now imagine if your embedded e-SIM malfunctions...That's gonna be one costly repair :/
there's no physical sim to malfunction.... we just download our sim card from internet. i had esim and it was pretty good.
Yeah imagine if your motherboard malfunctions, or battery, or anything, that's also gonna be a costly repair, how dare phone developers add things that can't easily be fixed
Esims makes the state very easy to track you.
Theorfore the ability to block phones making them useless at a switch of a hat.
I'm sticking to phones that accept dual sim
You mean like how they shut down bank accounts and insurance policies for activists and protesters or anyone they don’t like.
@@luxmunk yep just like how police and dealerships can remotely track and shutdown vehicles over in America and some other countries.
The idea of selling reliable products that will last benefiting business and consumers went out the window when smart phones was introduced by Apple and Google.
I personally prefer physical sim is always better than e-sims . Whoever travel abroad for business or leisure. E-sims are not compatible and friendly i must say. Now a days most of the people use 2 sims
try airalo, it is very continence for trips aboard and in many countries, it is much cheaper than buying at the airport
\
Those are the pros. What are the cons? The risks? Is the switch inevitable?
Dalvin Brown, please explain the "migration" in DHS & USSS that mysteriously deleted the most crucial texts ever in the history of the USA, and why the top security officials were unable to perform their duties to preserve records.
Also, please explain why many of the owners of the 294.15 million smartphones in the US seem to be able to accomplish migration successfully.
After listening to the video & reading the comments I still don't know if this is a good thing, a bad thing or benign. Got me, I guess I'll roll with the punches. I guess in the long run it won't matter when Skynet becomes self aware...then we're all terminated. 😳
I remember in the 90's when cell phones started to become really popular I remember that is how my first few phones were, I don't remember any SIM cards.
All of the reasons he’s listing are far very far fetched. How often is one changing out SIM cards??
This means that carriers will have customers even more locked. Switching a little physical chip is very easy. Carriers are going to make a nightmare for customers to leave them digitally (= purposely bad webpages with little info and many bumps along the way)
I live in Europe and have been using esim for over 2 years. The only little downside I experience is paying an extra 5 euro every time i change phones. You have to also go through the configuration process from the beginning on your new phone by scanning QR code …the process is very easy and quick.
I travel a lot outside of Europe (less due to pandemic though) and would always carry Wi-Fi egg in the past …now I can just use another esim as for example iPhone 13 allows me to have 2 of them at the same time …very convenient :)
Ah I forgot to mention you would need to configure your esim from the beginning also when you decide for some reason to reset your phone so in this case for me it would be another 5 euro…but this doesn’t bother me :)
It’s as easy as going into Settings and tapping “Delete eSIM”. If you want to temporarily disable it, you just tap the “Turn Off” toggle. Really, it’s easier with eSIMs, since you don’t have to deal with actually physical cards, which might get lost or damaged while outside your phone.
I don't like smaller phone like 2007-2016 smartphone. I think the size now it's enough
Carries don’t want that because they not going to charge us for the $10-30 SIM card
A well rehearsed and polished rendition of utter bulldust.
My Apple Watch uses Esim technology. Still haven’t figured it out yet
Still, most new phones today don't have the esim option at all.
Most of Apple's, Google's, Samsung's and other major brands new phones are esim enabled, in some cases going back a few years.
Because the pros that was listed? Hard to switch? Really? How often do people just switch sim cards? Probably like once a year. It's basically a solution for a non-existent problem.
@@Dotcando Travelling could be a reason to switch, and that's a pro for eSIM because travelling with eSIM is so much easier than physical, only exception would be to developing countries, but about 80 countries rn support eSIM so unless you frequently travel to developing countries, there's no issue
If you travel alot trust me you don't want an esim you want dual sim physical. Heck even travelling domestically you'll want a temporary sim if no reception.
Exactly! Only in usa, phones in other countries let you swap out sims regularly. People are crossing borders regularly in Europe, for example.
@@Lili-xq9sn in Australia dual sim phones get taken the wrong way as if people having a second life doing illegal things. The truth is many of us want a 2nd sim slot to swap to when on holidays without out costing us or morning changes to our primary sim card phone nulber. The other legitimate reason is I want a separate number for when my telcos down in the area and for my boss and colleagues to not call me on my personal number after hours and when I switch jobs I don't wanna be harassed by salespeople and people from my old job I started a fresh job for a fresh start and I may chose at times of my life a fleshly new phone number is the way to go.
How much does it cost? Is it a one time cost or a subscription?
I don’t want to go back to the CDMA days!!!
Apple supported e-sim for some time now. Their iPhone in china support duo sims, 1 physical, 1 e-sim. Chinese love to have 2 lines in the same phone for some reason. Also, Apple Watch use e-sim for very long time.
iPhone 11 on supports dual sim. 1 physical, 1 esim
It is discriminating that china has the physical sim and esim support.
@@AM93000 Well, people in china love to have multiple phoneline in a single cellphone. I don't know why, as China's cellular cost is not that high. But it seems the rest of the world doesn't really need this feature. At least no one in my country complain about it.
Why am I thinking, hacking my phone just got so much easier
Can you get calls to either number if you have two sims? Or is it one active at any one time?
This will give carriers total control. They will charge you to change phones.
You already get charged to change physical sim? What are you talking about
This almost sounded like a wholesome cookery recipe !
Almost 🤔
For security, I think he missed one point about eSIM in terms of security especially when a phone gets stolen.
how does esim work when you travel internationally and buy prepaid sim?
I am keeping my regular SIM card and battery removable mobile, unfortunately it's on Android 5 so time is running out!
Nice video. Please let me know if all 5G smartphones support e-sim? If not, how to know if a phone supports e-sim? Thank you in advance....
I heard that news in 2017.
Will that give me enough space for the SD card to be included with the high-end phones again? Samsung, Apple, I'm looking at you BOTH! SD Cards are up to 1TB of memory on my PHONE!
I love that idea
You did not clarify esims use for international travel
Seriously !!!!! I have been using eSims since 5 years. You guys need to be better informed about technology
Literally zero advantage.
That would make things a lot easier, but i'm sure there are some things that needs to be ironed out..
This gonna be awesome in surveillance!
It's creating a problem for the individual users when they were NONE, to justify higher cost and more control by the carriers.
Good. To heck with sim cards.
Chingon ., gracias
Esim is not good.all the reason he gave benefits the carriers not the consumers.sim are good because i can switch phone when i want
It’s also cuts down on plastic waste.
I remember when Apple came up with idea of having the SIM card chip embedded and the provider just stood there ground said no way so nano sim was created basically why nano sim has hardly any plastic around it as Apple wanted it as basically just the chip
The amount of plastic waste from the sim cards including the bigger card they come in of the 5 or some I've purchased in the last year probably amounts to that of a plastic bottle or 2...
@@michaelxz1305 three SIM cards come in mini form they used to come in full sim, never made sense as nobody used that size for the decades, I just hope it’s just a matter of scanning a QR code by logging onto your one’s account to transfer to any phone or use it on multiple phones tho knowing providers they will want to maintain control in some form
Is this a podcast or cheap video? I guess it's both.
it's stated in the video title. it's from a podcast.
They need to so something.
I lost my sim card had to wait 7 days from a lil cheap cheap co to send it
Well. Sounds like a great idea 👍
Why don't just have dalvin do the bit?
When I buy SIMS card, firstly I must be registered my identity card and then useit
I like having a physical sim
Buy an international model then or get another phone model
Smaller phones?!
Every, every smartphone manufacturer is bending towards bigger and bigger ones... How could you say eSims would allow manufacturers to build smaller phones?
I also argue swapping Sim cards is hardly a daily task for the overwhelming majority of people. I do not see a point in stressing that out so much.
Having SIM is easy to change carrier or even better when traveling to have the local carrier.
Lol. You have to hunt down a SIM card while you are abroad. Really. Every corner store sells sim’s in most countries. Plus airports have kiosks.
What is this. C’mon WSJ hire a editor to throw some broll over the audio . We don’t want to watch two still photos talking each other
E sims would make them easier to steal your number and accounts.
And what happens if your phone gets stolen and they just take the SIM card out? How easy is it for them to steal your number then?
The only time I changed Sim cards was when I traveled overseas, worst parts was try to remember where I put my original Sim after 35 days of Egypt/Jordan journey in 2021
iPhone I assume ? Android user simply put the foreign SIM card on the second slot
I think ESim only will be exclusive to the US like mm wave 5G is exclusive to the US
Policing appears to be the primary goal. Say goodbye to privacy totally.
Losing thing that you can actually own, one by one. I want my simcard. F esim.
Digital Sim cards are a personal safety issue they are hackable unlike physical Sim cards which can remove cellular connection
So many other things in your phone can also be easily hacked, have you used a phone before?
First question: How much does AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile pay the Wall Street Journal in advertising? How glaringly one-sided. A “host” interviewing a “reporter“ is now the authority. Disgraceful. If you can’t remove an e-Sim card, the single thing that shows ownership of a device, then you don’t really own it. You can truly never turn off or disconnect the device from the grid. Now who does that benefit? Probably the people that paid for that “interview.”
Esims are great for travel. So cheap and painless compared to having to hunt down a physical card and potentially deal with contracts. I had service immediately when we landed in Europe, before even getting off the plane.
How do you hunt down a physical card. They are literally at every airport.
@@xmalcom650 while they do have them at airports you're almost guaranteed a significant markup in price.
@@xmalcom650 that's a queue time
With esim, u can get a network connection instantly when yr plane lands unlike some big airports that u need to ask people for directions to where u can get a sim card
tmobile with a sim has been providing service on arrival for years
I predict Apple will be the first to delete the sim tray… just to cut costs further.
WIZARD
Then my next phone is Apples loss, Samsungs win
They invented the SIM card because in the past you can not switch easily companies, you needed to reprogram or manually configure the phone for the new network. Nowadays you can easily input files and programs into the phone so sims make no sense nowadays, it was a small memory data accesory to keep your contacts, texts and your carrier. Verizon with CDMA eliminated the SIM since the first day.
Then Verizon got SIM cards and then now they’re going back to no SIM cards.
Another fee opportunity for carriers. A $20 We didn't have to send you a physical sim card fee.
iPhones in Canada have physical sim card
This is going to be a pain in the a** switching phones.. not to mention when your phone just bricked and need to answer a life changing call from someone asap
And carriers would be able to charge ypu for every single thing.. sure they'll say its free for now.. but after a year or two.. not so much
Wow, you're only about 8 years late to the party. I've had a digital sim card on my google fi phone for 6+ years.
Great! Mine is not even 5G yet
It already stated
I don’t think iPhone 14 will be completely ESim only because a lot of carriers don’t really support eSim and Switching phones is a nightmare with the same with a physical Sim you could just pop out the Sim card out of your current phone and pop it into your new phone
Apple supported e-sim for some time now. Their iPhone in china support duo sims, 1 physical, 1 e-sim. Chinese love to have 2 lines in the same phone for some reason. Also, Apple Watch use e-sim for very long time.
@@Theoryofcatsndogs of course its in China another way of tracking
@@fuzer4047 Any county can track people with their cellphone with cell towers. Unless you remove the battery from your cellphone, govt can always track you with or without sim.
@@Theoryofcatsndogs yes i know but i am saying China because they are tracking more than that and this is good for them as a another way of tracking
@@fuzer4047 Well, in China, as long as you have a face and walk on street, you are are being track. So it doesn't really matter how they track you.
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She said tiny holes
No hole is tiny
So they are doing this all for security purposes? SIMs are readily swappable than some silly eSIM. I could only favor an eSIM if they would blacklist and brick a phone that is lost or stolen.
"SIMs are swappable then some silly eSIM." eSIMs are even easier to swap... I don't understand why people don't know this
Patch up ? But if one , just one eSIM gets breached then the whole dang cloud does too ! Since it activates via the cloud !!
You ask someone how travel a lot or someone switching phone often. Now you have to call the carrier every time you want to switch carrier and phone. Who wants to call 2 carrier and put on hold for almost an hour just to switch carrier. It is pretty much a locked 🔒 phone.
Not good… what if phone doesn’t power on or if they’re activation locked on their device due to forgetting their passcode
ESNs anyone? I used to have to swap ESNs with Verizon all the time. Pre sim card/ LTE.
Pretty sure that Zoe and Dalvin are AIs.