Leading service provider eSIM Plus has revealed its plan to invest in building the world’s first decentralised marketplace for consumers and operators as part of its Telecom-as-a-Service strategy. This development i coming even as the $4.7bn eSIM market is witnessing increased interest from legacy operators and new-age telcos.
With a presence in over 190 countries, eSIM Plus is one of the world’s most trusted providers of virtual sims, serving 3 million users at a retention rate of 30%. The company says it provides globetrotting customers with a roam-like-home approach, and the new marketplace platform will see a flurry of strategic partnerships to further lower costs, by bringing together larger telcos and smaller regional players under one umbrella.
In a chat with Technext, CEO of eSIM Plus, Dina Tsybulskaya, said the aim remains to make telecom borderless, and grant users greater transparency in accessing roaming services, anywhere in the world.
“eSim technology is just a replacement for physical sim cards, activated by an app that needs to be downloaded on the mobile device you are using to make a call or access the internet. This is the reason why eSims are finding high levels of adoption worldwide as they help cut down on sim manufacturing costs while allowing users to have multiple connections on a single device and enabling operators to provide easier, more convenient telecom (voice & data) services for local and roaming purposes,” she said.
Speaking about the Telecom-as-a-Service platform, she said it will be a decentralized solution, unifying regional and global partnerships. The plan is to open up local MVNOs to international travellers by integrating local networks as partners into a network of networks and then selling their eSIMs to people even before they physically arrive.
eSim Plus to forge partnerships with African providers
The CEO, Dina Tsybulskaya says her company recognises the potential benefits of forging partnerships with pan-African wholesale providers as it could yield further cost savings for international visitors using mobile internet services within African nations, as well as outbound African travellers seeking roam-like-home solutions abroad.
She pointed out that before now, eSim Plus was mostly focusing on wholesale cooperation with dominant players in both local connectivity and roaming domains. Currently, the proposed telecom-as-a-service company is rapidly expanding its partner network and engaging with smaller players in Africa to join its supply ecosystem.
She noted that these partners could be regional mobile providers, cable providers, MVNOs, satellite companies, and even user-built or decentralized networks, which are limited in terms of territory or population coverage. This strategic initiative, she says, aims to enhance the value proposition for consumers, offering more competitive pricing structures that remain consistent, regardless of location.
Further, the inclusion of smaller-scale providers from Africa into our supply chain is designed to facilitate their access to the global telecommunications market, which often remains limited to local sales or national roaming agreements with larger domestic carriers. By integrating these providers, eSIM Plus is enabling them to participate independently in the international arena, utilizing our platform as a gateway for online retail and eSIM activation.
According to the CEO, this approach not only serves the interests of African consumers seeking cost-effective and flexible connectivity solutions but also contributes to a more diverse and competitive telecommunications ecosystem globally.
She also highlighted the company’s focus on diversifying payment methods, which has enabled them to allow cryptocurrencies, apart from fiat currencies, for bill payments towards voice and data services. She lauded crypto payments as “one of our fastest-growing payment methods right now, showing our inventiveness towards tailoring services for the next generation of consumers.”
Competition vs collaboration with traditional telecom operators
The CEO also told Technext that there is really more collaboration than competition with the traditional telecommunications players. She said this collaboration is also a major reason why the eSim technology is seeing increased adoption. In this collaboration, traditional telcos will have the upper hand when it comes to infrastructural superiority because new eSim service providers will find it easy to ride on their foundational strength and focus on the user experience part, thus ensuring synergy in the telecom sector.
She pointed out that traditional telcos are already transitioning from providing physical SIM cards to eSim services in several global economies, including in Africa.
“As a service provider, eSIM Plus is helping bridge the consumer gap, by integrating traditional telecom services with blockchain and web3-focused solutions to drive the next wave of user experience in the eSIM space. We envision an ecosystem where scattered MNOs can seamlessly interact on a blockchain platform, benefiting both providers and users,” she said.
In conclusion
With nearly 76% or 6.7 billion e-sim smartphone connections expected to be in use globally by 2030, the e-sim sector is set to positively impact telecom penetration in developed and emerging economies. Apart from their simplified features and lower carbon footprint, e-sims are also seeing increased traction among business and leisure travellers for enabling a seamless telecom experience anywhere, without having to physically switch sims.
See also: Airtel Nigeria launches eSIM, joins 9mobile and MTN
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