For years, eSim has been touted as the logical next step in mobile connectivity. Instead of inserting a small plastic card into a tray, a user downloads a digital profile from their operator, often by scanning a QR code. Apple has been quietly championing eSim since the iPhone XS in 2018, but with the iPhone 17 line-up, the company is effectively signalling that the future of connectivity is embedded, virtual and plastic-free. The new, ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air doesn't even have a physical Sim slot at all, a move Apple touted as a way of maximising space for the battery.
The shift can't happen soon enough!
This is not just a matter of convenience. It's also an environmental story. Sim cards are small, but the churn is vast. In South Africa, tens of millions of Sim cards are issued and replaced every year, mainly because of customers swapping between networks to chase better deals. Each of those tiny cards is made of plastic and most end up in landfill - or in our rivers and oceans.