eSIM thread
Oct 10, 2019 | 7:55 pm
#166
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: DCA
Programs: AA EXP; BoNVoY Plat LTP
Posts: 1,990
TMo refused to do this over the app and told me to go to a store (I had previously tried but there were too many people ahead of me). Hitting the store in the morning I was able to get this done in around 15 minutes, with a moderately clueless rep who basically read my esim code over the phone. Off to Europe in a bit and will try to see how it works with my Vodafone sim.
Oct 10, 2019 | 8:25 pm
#167
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Bye Delta
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Posts: 16,636
My phone is unlocked. It took the AT&T store 10 minutes to move my service to an eSIM. And half of that was waiting for the safe to open so they could get an eSIM kit out. When they first tried to scan the activation barcode, it gave an error about not being able to successfully activate the cellular plan, but after a quick reboot it activated just fine. Rocking AT&T eSIM and a Google Fi physical SIM for use while traveling overseas.
Oct 11, 2019 | 8:18 am
#168
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
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I finally got an AT&T rep willing to sort things out and knew what to do, which is basically checking if long strings of numbers match up. Some reps are willing to help, but are not trained to troubleshoot. But too many reps in "Advance Tech Support" know what has to be done, but aren't willing to go through the hassle. Literally, 3 Advance Tech Support reps were supposed to get back to me and none of them did. One said he would call me back in 5 minutes that he just had to move to another computer! We confirmed the phone number he was going to call me back on, even though I know he knows the number I'm calling from, but he never called back. I finally said I'm willing to wait and finally got a rep to set it up. The wait was an hour and it took another hour to finally get set up. Previously, during other attempts it was at least an hour, so I probably put in a total of 10 hours. Either they're unstaffed or many people having issues. It should only take 15 minutes, but the rep screwed it up the first time and it took me 10 hours to get it fixed.
Not sure why they insist we pick up an eSIM card with a QR code. On the iPhone you can manually enter in numbers to activate, but AT&T insist we scan a QR code. And in an AT&T store SIMs costs $5! But in an Apple Store it's free. But many Apple reps don't know they have them?!? And one Apple rep insist they didn't carry them. In the end, it's worth the hours to set up the eSIM and not have to have 2 phones for 2 numbers. . . I think.
Not sure why they insist we pick up an eSIM card with a QR code. On the iPhone you can manually enter in numbers to activate, but AT&T insist we scan a QR code. And in an AT&T store SIMs costs $5! But in an Apple Store it's free. But many Apple reps don't know they have them?!? And one Apple rep insist they didn't carry them. In the end, it's worth the hours to set up the eSIM and not have to have 2 phones for 2 numbers. . . I think.
Oct 11, 2019 | 8:19 am
#169
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NYC, USA
Programs: AA EXP 3MM, Lifetime Platinum, Marriott Titanium, HH Gold
Posts: 11,049
If your phone is locked, then I wouldnt bother. You wont be able to insert a physical SIM from another carrier and have it work.
My phone is unlocked. It took the AT&T store 10 minutes to move my service to an eSIM. And half of that was waiting for the safe to open so they could get an eSIM kit out. When they first tried to scan the activation barcode, it gave an error about not being able to successfully activate the cellular plan, but after a quick reboot it activated just fine. Rocking AT&T eSIM and a Google Fi physical SIM for use while traveling overseas.
My phone is unlocked. It took the AT&T store 10 minutes to move my service to an eSIM. And half of that was waiting for the safe to open so they could get an eSIM kit out. When they first tried to scan the activation barcode, it gave an error about not being able to successfully activate the cellular plan, but after a quick reboot it activated just fine. Rocking AT&T eSIM and a Google Fi physical SIM for use while traveling overseas.
Thanks!!
Oct 11, 2019 | 8:33 am
#170
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DAY/CMH
Programs: UA MileagePlus
Posts: 2,474
From the network's perspective, an eSim is exactly the same as a SIM card.
Dec 17, 2019 | 3:26 am
#172
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Join Date: Mar 2010
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Dec 17, 2019 | 4:52 am
#173
Suspended
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Dec 17, 2019 | 6:30 am
#174
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 724
Don't quote me, but I recall a statement from one of the prepaid esim FAQ's that up to 50 esims can be stored on capable phones. I have no idea if this is true or varies by phone make & model, but it was in print on a prepaid website. I have no idea which one, and it could be just BS, but it shouldn't require much data space, so I can see it being possible.
But wait, there's more!
I just did a little research on the subject and found a GSMA eSim Whitepaper with this quote:
How much memory will be available in an eUICC and how many Profiles can be stored into it?
The memory of an eUICC can range from several KB to several MB. There is no specific limit on the number of Profiles that can be stored on an eUICC, this depends only on memory available and the size of Profiles. Operators could manage Profile sizes to fit them in the eUICC.
Reference: https://www.gsma.com/esim/wp-content...aper-v4.11.pdf
But wait, there's more!
I just did a little research on the subject and found a GSMA eSim Whitepaper with this quote:
How much memory will be available in an eUICC and how many Profiles can be stored into it?
The memory of an eUICC can range from several KB to several MB. There is no specific limit on the number of Profiles that can be stored on an eUICC, this depends only on memory available and the size of Profiles. Operators could manage Profile sizes to fit them in the eUICC.
Reference: https://www.gsma.com/esim/wp-content...aper-v4.11.pdf
Dec 17, 2019 | 8:26 am
#176
Join Date: Mar 2019
Location: TH
Posts: 13
How much memory will be available in an eUICC and how many Profiles can be stored into it?
The memory of an eUICC can range from several KB to several MB. There is no specific limit on the number of Profiles that can be stored on an eUICC, this depends only on memory available and the size of Profiles. Operators could manage Profile sizes to fit them in the eUICC.
Reference: https://www.gsma.com/esim/wp-content...aper-v4.11.pdf
The memory of an eUICC can range from several KB to several MB. There is no specific limit on the number of Profiles that can be stored on an eUICC, this depends only on memory available and the size of Profiles. Operators could manage Profile sizes to fit them in the eUICC.
Reference: https://www.gsma.com/esim/wp-content...aper-v4.11.pdf
Dec 17, 2019 | 8:31 am
#177
Join Date: Feb 2017
Posts: 724
Good point on the labeling. I generally call them by either the country or date I intend to use them during. Lots of flexibility here fortunately since iPhones gives you a custom name option, and the name is easily edited.
Dec 29, 2019 | 12:37 pm
#178
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 392
Dec 29, 2019 | 6:39 pm
#180
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: YVR
Programs: AA
Posts: 1,623