At the beginning of last year, we told you about iSIM technology, which was jointly announced by Qualcomm, Vodafone and Thales. In short, it is an analogue of eSIM, which works according to a similar principle, but is integrated directly into the chipset (iSIM – Integrated SIM). Thus, smartphone manufacturers do not need to install an additional chip for eSIM operation, which can save some space inside the devices and some financial resources. iSIM promises the same level of security as eSIM.

Qualcomm and Thales announced iSIM certification on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform. However, the companies have not yet specified which smartphones will be the first to use iSIM. Note that mobile operators don’t even have to update their systems to add support for iSIM devices (if they already offer eSIM).

Most likely, it is worth waiting for the popularization of iSIM after the technology begins to be supported by more affordable mass chipsets. However, the companies chose the right moment, because the trend to abandon the physical SIM card is increasing. In particular, Apple already sells iPhone 14 smartphones in the US without a SIM card slot.