The ‘2024 eSIM Playbook’

Most of the world has already adopted some version of eSIM—whether through smartwatches, QR codes, or mobile app integration. However, many telcos remain uncertain about how to capitalize on this technology and turn it into a profitable venture.

While eSIM has significantly impacted the end-customer experience—especially for travelers and early adopters—its full potential for boosting telcos’ bottom line remains untapped. Originally conceived as a niche technology for making calls directly from an Apple Watch, eSIM has now become mainstream for all new connected devices.

As one of the pioneers in the eSIM Orchestration, Enablement & Management domain, I’d like to share my insights on how telcos can position themselves to seize this revenue opportunity. Here’s the 2024 eSIM Playbook:

So here’s my ‘2024 eSIM Playbook’:

1. Shift Your Mindset: Growth Opportunity Awaits- Rather than viewing eSIM as a cost or technical hurdle, consider it a growth opportunity. By changing your mindset, you’ll discover new avenues for business and revenue.
2. All Domains Matter: eSIM Across the Board- eSIM impacts all lines of business: consumer, enterprise, M2M, IoT, MVNOs, roaming, and more. Don’t overlook any of these domains when crafting your long-term eSIM strategy.
3. From Tech to Service: Crafting Seamless Journeys- eSIM was originally created as a technology, but your job is to transform it into a working, easy-to-use and seamless service. Spend some time on defining the best journey for each customer type, device and channel.
4. Ecosystem Play: Collaborate for Success- Monetizing eSIM requires an ecosystem. Set up a platform that collaborates with device manufacturers, eSIM database vendors, entitlement providers, and more. Be part of the eSIM orchestra.
5. “Use Cases” Rule: Beyond Protocols and QR Codes- Forget protocols; focus on use cases. Whether it’s an incoming traveler, an MVNO embedding eSIM, or enterprise mass activation—each use case brings revenue. Map them all.
6. Broaden the Horizon: Target Beyond Prepaid and Postpaid- Your market isn’t limited to prepaid or postpaid users. Think occasional users, immigrants using your network to stay connected with home, MVNO end customers, employees of B2B clients, and more. Ensure your use case map covers all these scenarios.
7. Mitigating System Errors: The Digital Transition- As we shift from physical to digital, flexibility increases—but so do system errors. For instance, a plastic SIM can’t be simultaneously installed in two devices, but with eSIM, customers might forget to delete their profile before switching devices. Address these permutations of user or system errors before launch to avoid revenue loss.
8. New Experiences Await: Creativity and Innovation- eSIM is relatively a new technology which brings with it new experiences. Hundreds of millions of customers worldwide already are enjoing it. They are expecting you to be creative and innovative, to offer them the best possible experiences, which will fit in their digital lifestyle. Offer them new exciting ways to communicate and they will reward you with loyalty, usage and recommendations.
9. Leverage Your MNO App: Enhancing Customer Experience- When offering eSIM through your MNO app, you get the benefits of increasing stickiness, learning about customers behaviour and preferences, upsell opportunities and most importantly- providing a superior experience across platforms and operating systems. This is priceless and should be carefully considered when you build your monetization plan.
10. Avoid Quick Fixes: Invest in Quality- Tempted by a “quick and dirty” approach? Instead, invest in a robust solution. Your eSIM strategy should be well-thought-out, seamlessly executed, and customer-centric.

To sum up, supporting eSIM is a journey. Generating revenue from eSIM isn’t a straightforward task. To set off on the right foot, be prepared to scale exponentially, support  new use cases quickly, onboard many partners and devices seamlessly, and constantly innovate with new offerings and experiences.

And if you’re wondering how I can be so confident about my eSIM knowledge and what it takes to create a really good eSIM solution? It’s because we at amdocs are touching the nerves of eSIM on a daily basis, empowering dozens of telcos worldwide make it amazing, for more than 7 years now!