Mobile phones with two SIM cards – known as dual-SIM devices – have long been available in many countries, but didn’t officially appear in the US until 2018 with the launch of the Apple iPhone XS. Now, if you were a real mobile junkie (like me) you could have purchased an international version of Android devices from a phone distributor on Amazon and used the dual SIM capabilities, but until Apple made the leap with the iPhone XS, the US was a dual-SIM wasteland.
Dual-SIM devices were long popular in countries with a high level of prepaid usage since the two SIMs would allow people to top up whichever operator was offering the best deal that week. The dual-SIM phones gave end users a degree of leverage over the operators and forced the operators to compete to keep their business. Of course, US operators were aghast at this enhanced purchasing power of customers and did what they could to restrict and block implementation of dual-SIM devices. Apple was the only device manufacturer with the market power to push back on the US operators and went ahead with the implementation of their dual-SIM phone which they launched with eSIM as the 2nd SIM.
The eSIM function is available in Apple devices starting with the XS and any of the more recent editions. Some of the more recent versions of Samsung devices have the technical capability, but are restricted by software due to US operator pressure (and Samsung being cowards). The eSIM operates in DSDS (dual-SIM dual-standby) mode in all eSIM capable phones as of this writing (Feb 2021). DSDS means that the phone can have two active phone lines, but only one active data line.
The benefits of dual-SIM devices are obvious to end users, but if the devices aren’t available for sale in a market it’s pretty hard to get the benefits. I’ll cover a few of the major benefits of the dual-SIM capability:
Work & Personal Lines
Does your company provide cell phone service to the staff, but you don’t want to give up your long-held mobile number? Or don’t want the company to print your personal cell number on a business card? Then the eSIM-capable devices might be for you. These devices will allow you to have a work and personal number that will allow you to make and receive calls & texts on either of the two lines. A few quirks to Apple’s setup:
- Calls – you can make and receive calls when both lines are active and you can select which contacts use which line for both outgoing and incoming calls. This will allow your personal contacts to see your personal number and business contacts to see the corporate line. The challenge with this is that you have to choose a line for each person you contact and you’ll need to select one of the two lines as the default, so you need to remember to select the appropriate line for each person you contact to ensure they get a call from the proper number.
- Texts – The same personal/business tagging will apply to texts as it does for calls. The most challenging issue for me was that only one line could use iMessage, so you needed to decide whether it was more important to have iMessage for your friends/family or for your co-workers. I started a campaign among my co-workers to use OTT apps (like WhatsApp or Telegram) for work messages so we could have the same group benefits without everyone having to use iMessage (or even have an iPhone).
- Data – The phone only supports one line for data, so you’ll have to select whether you want to use your personal or corporate data. Since most corporate plans have huge data allowances, people tend to use their corporate data and can reduce the amount of data they purchase as part of their personal service plan.
Low Cost International Plans
The largest cost saver that an eSIM phone provides is the ability to add an international roaming plan to your existing service. International roaming is one of the highest margin elements of the telecom business and while rates have declined a bit over the years, the prices your operator charges are many multiples of what the actual charges they pay to deliver that service. Verizon and AT&T have $10/day plans that allow you to use your existing data buckets, but eSIM plans covering Europe run as low as $5/GB. Especially if you’ll be overseas for more than a day or two, the international eSIMs can save a ton of money.
iSimplexity provides eSIM coverage in 150 countries starting at just $10 for a 2 GB plan that’s valid for a month. Over the course of a two-week vacation, you could save over $100 just on the data service.
Things to keep in mind:
- Choose your eSIM wisely! Only one line can use the eSIM and the other line will have to be a traditional plastic SIM card. If you purchase an international eSIM for travel, you’ll need to turn off your home eSIM line to enable the new roaming eSIM to work. So, if work expects you to be reachable while on vacation, you might want to have your plastic SIM be the work line and the eSIM be your personal line.
- Buy your eSIM before you travel! If you don’t you’ll need to get connectivity before you can download the eSIM and activate a plan. Generally, I purchase the eSIM and install it the day before I leave. And then when I land, I turn on the eSIM and get data right away.
- International eSIMs are provided by various international operators so you might see Vodafone, T-Mobile or Orange as the carrier and you might be directed to the international versions of Google or see ads in a foreign language. This is typical as internet providers assume you’re a Dutch citizen if you’re using a Vodafone Netherlands eSIM and would want your info to be displayed in Dutch.
- If you’re having a problem with your eSIM be sure to contact the company that sold you the eSIM, not your home provider. The roaming company will be able to help troubleshoot the problems. If you have one of our iSimplexity eSIMs, you can contact our support team ahead of your trip and walk you through the installation process (which only has to be done once).
