Airtel has introduced the e-SIM platform, an innovation that will allow users to connect to the network without having to insert an actual Subscriber Identity Module (SIM card) into their smartphones.
The company’s Managing Director Charles Kamoto, emphasized that only those with selected mobile phones qualify for the platform: “This is a complete transformation from the past, which has been dominated by physical SIM card. You will no longer need to have a physical SIM card for you to be connected to our services provided you have an e-SIM compatible device.”
Also, he guaranteed that for an e-SIM to be activated on a mobile phone, “we will share with our customer a QR code, which will have to be scanned to ensure that it gets embedded in the device and that becomes unique to the user.”
Director General of the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (MACRA), Daud Suleman, describes Airtel Malawi’s latest innovation as progressive, noting that it will have a significant impact on the telecoms industry.
e-SIM is a programmable SIM card that is directly embedded into a smartphone and it allows one to use multiple mobile numbers in one device.
