The Mobile World Congress (MWC 2023), which is held annually, began on February 27th and continued until March 2nd. Many manufacturers introduced their new products at the fair. Xiaomi’s new flagship models, the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, as well as their accessories, drew the attention of visitors at the fair.
eSIM alternative
Qualcomm and Thales unveiled the world’s first GSMA-compliant iSIM technology at MWC 2023 and announced that it compatible with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform. The acronym “iSIM” stands for “Integrated SIM”. It is expected to replace the Embedded SIM (eSIM) technology, which has become increasingly popular in recent years.
What is eSIM ?
An eSIM is an industry-standard digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical SIM. You can install eight or more eSIMs on an iPhone and use two phone numbers at the same time.
What is an iSIM?
Also Known an Integrated Subscriber Identification Module, iSIM, refers to the functionality of a SIM card as we know it that has been integrated into a device’s main processor. In other words, this is a system-on-a-chip (SOC) architecture that integrates SIM functionalities with an existing, onboard processor and cellular modem.
Advantages of the iSIM
iSIM has a similar technology to eSIM. However, the biggest advantage of iSIM is that it is a much more economical solution. The components required for eSIM technology take up space inside smartphones. iSIM, on the other hand, eliminates the component clutter created by eSIM by being placed inside the chipset. In addition, since there is no additional component on the motherboard of the phone, manufacturers can reduce production costs. Furthermore, manufacturers can repurpose the space left by moving away from eSIM and adopting this new technology for other components such as a larger battery or better cooling system.
Although the Integrated SIM technology may not be used in new devices in the short term, it is estimated that the first smartphones using iSIM will be available in Q2 2023. In the future, Xiaomi smartphones using Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may include this feature.
