Two recent announcements mark a real shift in the way mobile connectivity is being delivered, and the impact reaches further than consumer travel conveniences. For anyone managing connected security systems, mobile workforces or remote devices, the move away from physical SIM cards is starting to look less like an option and more like an inevitability.
Juniper Research now expects travel eSIM packages to generate $1.8 billion by the end of 2025 – an 85 per cent jump from last year. That kind of growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s being fuelled by a mix of cost efficiency and easier market entry. Connectivity-as-a-Service platforms have lowered the technical and logistical barriers, opening the door for third parties to compete directly with established mobile network operators. Juniper believes that, by 2026, many operators will be launching their own travel eSIM plans simply to hang on to roaming revenue and stop customers drifting to more agile providers.
At the same time, the consumer market is being nudged firmly towards eSIM-only adoption. In the UK, eSIM.net has timed a bold new offer to coincide with the launch of Apple’s first eSIM-only device, the iPhone Air. The company has introduced a free 30-day plan that includes data, unlimited calls and texts, 5G access, hotspot use, Wi-Fi calling and number porting, all powered by Vodafone UK. There’s no paperwork, no shop visit and activation takes only a few minutes online. After the free period, users can walk away, pay monthly or upgrade without being tied in. As CEO Gerry O’Prey put it, plastic SIM cards are on their way out, much like CDs and DVDs.
For security professionals, these developments aren’t just interesting from a consumer tech perspective. There are clear operational implications. The rise of eSIMs changes how mobile devices can be provisioned, secured and managed across both personnel and hardware. If you’re dealing with roaming officers, lone worker devices, mobile access control units or remote video systems, the ability to switch networks digitally or deploy new connectivity without handling SIM cards has obvious advantages. It removes a layer of physical logistics and marginally reduces the opportunity for tampering. It also introduces a level of agility that traditional roaming models haven’t been able to provide.
However, as more third-party providers enter the picture, the governance challenge grows. Organisations will need firmer policies on approved providers, platform security standards and how usage is monitored. Pricing may become more competitive, but vendor oversight could become more complicated. What’s changing fastest is the expectation around activation and control. Once consumers are familiar with activating a new plan in minutes without touching a SIM tray, it’s only a matter of time before corporate devices are provisioned in the same way.
Over the next year, the combination of rapid market expansion and operator response will make eSIM planning harder to ignore. There is real potential to improve deployment speed, reduce reliance on physical stock and build network resilience into connected security operations. The more immediate challenge will be keeping control of who supplies the connectivity, how it is secured and how easily devices can be switched, scaled or reassigned. The plastic SIM isn’t dead yet, but its exit is now well underway.