eSIM, Travel Connectivity
In this post I have a tip related to connectivity while travelling abroad. My used way to go to get connectivity on my mobile when abroad was arriving at the destination, fiding a local carrier, buying a new SIM card, and replacing my current SIM (as I'm a iPhone user, and Apple does not provide twoSIM slots on its devices).It works OK in the case you want to use a lot of data (notebook/streaming/etc), as for long trips, but sometimes you juut need some connectivy, and for that cases, there is an alternative solution that fits well - usingan eSIM - a digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without having to use a physical SIM.
"An eSIM (embedded-SIM) is a form of programmable SIM card that is embedded directly into a device. Instead of an integrated circuit located on a removable universal integrated circuit card(UICC), typically made of PVC, an eSIM consists of software installed onto an eUICC chip permanently attached to a device."
But for using it, you need check if your device supports eSIM.
For Apple users, the requirement is:
- An iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later with iOS 12.1 or later.
More details here - Using Dual SIM with an eSIM.
Use case
When I went to Peru, I decided to try this alternative.
I found this website esimdb.com, where you check the available options for your destination. In my case I've chosed a plan from Airalo.
The steps are straightforward:
- Download the app
- Choose your destination and package
- Install your eSIM
- Activate your eSIM
Note: ensure you take screenshots from the instructions, or get it available offline someway, since in the process you may lost connection.
I made all the configuration in the airport, some minutes before departing from Brazil to Peru. The process of installing was not that simple, but following the step-by-step was enought to avoid bigger problems.
After some minutes, I had two options available for use: my physical SIM as the primary one and my eSIM was the travel alternative.
I've set using Travel setup for "Cellular Data" and "Default Voice Line", and I de-activate the "Roaming" option of the my primary SIM and the "Allow Celluar Data Switching" option to avoid extra charges from the primary carrier.
I soon as I arrived at Peru, I turned the Airplane mode off, the Data plan from the eSIM started working as expected, no problems, no issues, since the first minute.
I was not the cheapest option, but was the fastest and the easiest, and I loved it.
If you have the chance, give it a try.