Apple’s new phones have dual-SIM technology and one of them is an eSIM. An eSIM makes it easier to switch between carriers. But right now only ten countries in the world support it.
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eSIM
The countries that offer eSIM support include Austria, Canada, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, India, Spain, the UK, and the U.S. Smaller carriers like Sprint and others in the US don’t offer eSIM support yet. This means you’ll need to switch over to T-Mobile, Verizon, or AT&T.
Sprint told PCMag that it will eventually support eSIM technology, but didn’t give a specific timeframe. It’s also worth noting that Sprint and T-Mobile are undergoing plans to merge.
There is a special iPhone model for Chinese users that will have two physical SIM cards instead of an eSIM. Later this year Apple will release an iOS 12 update that will include an eSIM software update.
Now here’s the real skinny. eSim cards are a creature of GSM, the European cell phone standard (ATT, etc). The superior American CDMA standard (Verizon, Sprint) is illegal in Europe, because of protectionist policies, but both can be used in the United States. This is a terrible situation. Expect that once China is dealt with, a ban on GSM in the United States will follow until CDMA is allowed in Europe.
Yes, we have yet another terrible raw deal for US technology on our hands.
You obviously have no clue what you are talking about. GSM and CDMA are both 2G standards. GSM is used in over 100 countries around the world (including the USA), CDMA in less than 20 (including Venezuela, China, Uzbekistan, Armenia…). Both standards are more than 30 years old.
Most mobile networks are already switching over from 3G to 4G or 5G, and will shut down their GSM or CDMA networks the coming years, including for instance Verizon. So there is no point in pushing CDMA, it is being phased out by everyone (just like GSM).
CDMA is not illegal in Europe, there are networks that use it currently in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands, but mostly for special purposes.
SIM cards are actually a good thing, because they allow you as a consumer to select any GSM phone to use on any GSM network. CDMA networks only allow phones that they approved and registered. eSIMs have nothing todo with GSM, but are solution to store a
Don’t believe the nonsense and conspiracy theories that some US politicians and their favorite media channels are feeding you. There is no ‘terrible raw deal for US technology’.
Just check the facts, e.g. on 3gpp.org (the international standards organization for telecommunications, headquartered in the US) or simply lookup the GSM and CDMA pages on wikipedia.
So why not make the dual physical SIM iPhone available in the countries without eSIM support? Almost everyone I work with is crying out for a dual SIM iPhone. Many of them obliged to carry two phones around….
China has a special version of the Apple iPhone with dual nano sim cards. I have no idea why Apple is not selling that phone elsewhere.