Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Research and promote the application of eSIM technology in smartphones

Recently, a netizen left a message on the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, asking that the use of eSIM cards has recently aroused greater discussion. Does my country have a plan to promote eSIM mobile phone cards?

In response, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said, "Our ministry attaches great importance to protecting the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, and actively promotes the application and promotion of new technologies and new equipment on the basis of ensuring the legitimate rights and interests of users and information security.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology stated that at present, the ministry is organizing relevant units to study and promote the application of eSIM technology in tablet computers, portable computers and smart phones, and expand the scope of application of eSIM technology when conditions are ripe.

It is understood that the full name of eSIM is Embedded-SIM. Unlike the traditional pluggable SIM card, eSIM is directly embedded in the device chip and there is no need to insert a physical SIM card.

On October 19, 2020, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology agreed to allow China Telecom and China Mobile to carry out eSIM technology application services in the Internet of Things and other fields.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology pointed out that in order to adapt to the need for the Internet industry to accelerate the transformation of applications from consumption-oriented to production-oriented, it has agreed in principle to allow China Telecom and China Mobile to carry out eSIM technology application services in the Internet of Things and other fields nationwide.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology made it clear that the application services of eSIM technology in the Internet of Things and other fields are limited to the activation of data services and related targeted voice and targeted SMS services.

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology requires that companies should clearly indicate the rates, service content and related risks in service contracts, clarify the rights and responsibilities of users, fulfill their reminder obligations, and effectively provide relevant user services.