Apple would be ready to launch the iPhone 15 in 100% eSIM according to information from Challenges. According to a source contacted by Frandroidthis would not necessarily be the case.
Article updated on 09/12/2023 at 5:34 p.m.
According to a source contacted by Frandroid, the iPhone in 100% eSIM, it would not be right away in France, at least, “not exclusively”. It is plausible that Apple would opt for a two-version solution for each model, with on one side iPhones sold in eSIM only and on the other, versions that would keep the good old SIM drawer. One thing is certain, we will have the answer very soon. This would make it possible to go easy on operators while offering, as Apple wishes, 100% eSIM iPhones.
Original article published on 09/12/2023 at 3:15 p.m.
Imagine: a smartphone without a SIM tray. Better yet, an iPhone, one of the most popular smartphone ranges in the world, without that little gap to fit your SIM card. Already a reality in the United States since the iPhone 14 switched to 100% eSIM, Apple would be about to announce the same treatment for the iPhone 15, but in France.
The question has remained unresolved for several months, but the newspaper Challenges, a few hours before the conference, understands that Apple would have decided. Or rather that Apple, which already wanted to make this change the previous year, ended up making the French operators give in.
“Trench Warfare”
“When he wanted to offer eSIMs, it was trench warfare between French operators and Apple”, declares Jacques Assaraf, director of the telecoms sector at Capgemini to the publication. And Challenges describe : “The big four, Bouygues, Orange, SFR and Free, ended up folding. »
The reason behind this reluctance is simple: the eSIM, unlike the SIM card, is directly integrated into the user’s smartphone. All that’s missing is a QR Code to activate it. Therefore, Apple has enormous power over operators and strong negotiating capacity.
We can even go further in conjecture and imagine, tomorrow, Apple joining forces with an operator and offering to subscribe directly to them: billing with Apple to use the Orange network MVNO style for example. For now, this is just speculation on our part, but the operators’ fear clearly shows this. Remember that most virtual operators, or MVNOs, do not offer eSIM. In other words, the iPhone 15 could be reserved for a few operators in France.
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