By Robert A. Emmanuel
As phone companies look to new technologies to stay ahead of the competition, Digicel earlier this month began the rollout of its eSIM for its prepaid customers with a view to post-paid customers receiving a similar upgrade in the coming weeks.
Observer media spoke to Commercial Manager for Digicel Antigua, Barbuda and Montserrat, Ikenley Francis, about the value of the technology.
“The eSIM, better known as embedded SIM, is located on the electronic board of your device so it is not easily removed, unless you break open your phone and strip the device apart, whereas the regular SIM you can just pop it out of your phone,” Francis stated.
According to Francis, eSIM will make it easier for customers to switch between mobile networks, which will be useful for international travellers.
“Let’s say they are travelling to the United States, the eSIM can hold a number of [accounts] so they can move from one to another SIM without having to take the SIM card out of the device where they can lose it,” he explained.
A SIM, or a subscriber identification module, contains unique information that identifies the phone to a specific mobile network, allowing the user to make calls and connect mobile internet services.
Several mobile phone companies, including Apple, Samsung and Google Pixel, have begun integrating the technology and the Digicel Commercial Manager explained that Digicel wants to stay in touch with the market developments.
“Digicel tries its foremost best to stay at the forefront of technology and…have decided, as a digital company, to remain competitive, not just locally but also regionally, taking that extra step in launching the eSIM compatibility.
“The eSIM card still has the same identity as the regular SIM, it is just that it is no longer that plastic card and…when you come in, you will just scan a QR code that will connect your device to our network and you can use the phone just as normal,” Francis explained.
Rollout of the eSIM began on March 3 in Antigua and Barbuda.