Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

CTOnews.com March 2, Qualcomm and Therese recently announced on MWC 2023 that the world's first commercially deployable iSIM compliant with the GSMA standard has been certified on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform.

According to the TechhInsights Research Institute, iSIM (CTOnews.com Note: integrated SIM) will replace eSIM (CTOnews.com Note: embedded SIM) currently used in Apple, Samsung, Google and other high-end smartphones. ESIM itself replaces the old physical SIM cards introduced in 1991, when Giesecke & Devrient produced 300 for Radiolinja, the Finnish mobile operator.

Replacing physical SIM cards with programmable SIM cards (whether eSIM or iSIM) provides consumers with more flexibility to quickly switch from one mobile operator to another with the help of applications. Smartphones with two eSIM (or one eSIM + 1 physical SIM) can use two different mobile networks. This enables consumers to switch networks when moving from one region to another, or to use one network to provide one service (such as voice and SMS) and another network to provide another service (such as 5G data).

Like eSIM, iSIM supports remote configuration and offers another advantage-although it is aimed primarily at smartphone manufacturers rather than consumers. ESIM is integrated into the smartphone, but because it is a separate component, it still takes up valuable space in the device. As part of the phone's main processor, an iSIM frees up space that would have been occupied by a separate eSIM. This may mean that the components of the smartphone OEM are cheaper and easier to implement on devices than eSIM.

However, consumers may benefit from iSIM in other less obvious ways. The internal space of smartphones is limited, and more and more processors, memory, antennas, sensors and other components are squeezed into a small space. Although small, the internal space released by removing eSIM (fewer physical SIM cards and SIM trays) from the device provides more space for larger batteries and other components. This, in turn, will provide a better user experience for device owners.

The TechhInsights emerging device Technology (EDT) service predicts that eSIM will increase smartphone shipments by 15 per cent a year by 2023. While iPhone will continue to dominate the eSIM smartphone market in 2023, its share of the smartphone market will actually fall to 65%, reflecting the greater involvement of other smartphone manufacturers.

The development of iSIM for smartphones is not expected to have an immediate short-term impact on eSIM smartphone sales. This is because Qualcomm has implemented iSIM on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, an advanced smartphone solution. The report predicts that the first smartphones to provide Qualcomm iSIM implementation will be available in the second half of 2023, possibly in ultra-high-end smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy Z collapsible phones.

At this point, an open question is whether China's telecom regulator will allow smartphones with iSIM capabilities to be sold in China, which currently does not support the sale of eSIM smartphones, as well as presumably iSIM smartphones. There are signs that China may soon end restrictions on eSIM smartphones. If that happens, it could open the door to smartphones that support eSIM and iSIM, and vendors such as Xiaomi and Glory will soon support new solutions.

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