Safaricom recently announced its support for eSim on a number of smartphones. This means that users will now be able to connect to the network without attaching a physical sim card.
eSIM stands for Embedded Subscriber Identity Module or simply, embedded SIM card. Phone manufacturers have eSIM within the devices which works perfectly in markets like the US where phones are attached to the mobile network provider.
Safaricom announced the news on its official Twitter page, a few months after Faiba became the first Telco to roll out eSim support in the country.
“All your biashara and personal lines can now be managed on one device. Better yet, you don’t have to switch physical SIM cards! Switch to #SafaricomEsim at a Safaricom shop near you. Available on select devices. #TwendeTukiuke.” Safaricom said on its Twitter page.
All your biashara and personal lines can now be managed on one device. Better yet, you don’t have to switch physical SIM cards! Switch to #SafaricomEsim at a Safaricom shop near you. Available on select devices. #TwendeTukiuke pic.twitter.com/Nm3FtJnHj5
— Safaricom PLC (@SafaricomPLC)
Read: Faiba 4G Now Supporting eSIM on The Following Compatible Devices
The devices which are currently supported are the iPhone XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 12 and SE 2020 and Samsung Galaxy S21, S20, Z Fold and Note20.
Interested users can get their eSims from the Safaricom shops at Sh250. It will however cost Sh150 to do a sim swap of your existing physical sim card to eSim. Once you visit the shop, you will use the supported device to scan the eSim QR code. Your smartphone should then download and install the eSim settings for your Safaricom number.
To activate the eSIM, you need to be connected to the internet so you can download the profile once the QR code is scanned. After downloading, click and install your eSIM to activate it. You will then be able to see the network bars on your phone.
The availability of eSIMS means you will have a SIM profile in addition to your existing SIM card slots. This means that for a single SIM phone, you can now use it as a dual SIM and for a dual SIM phone, you can use three networks. However, the Phone OS primarily limits users to only two SIM cards.
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