One of the defining strengths of the eSIM ecosystem is trust. The GSMA has worked with industry stakeholders since its inception to define standards that guarantee security and interoperability, creating a stable foundation for global scale.
That foundation is a key reason why eSIM adoption is accelerating across consumer, IoT and industrial markets. But rapid growth introduces operational challenges for operators.
Because compliance is integral to the eSIM ecosystem, the GSMA eSIM Compliance Report 2025 offers more than a regulatory update. It mirrors market momentum and highlights trends across each eSIM segment. But what does this mean for MNOs and MVNOs from both a compliance management and commercial perspective?
Consumer eSIM is mainstream. With eSIM now standard across smartphones, wearables, laptops and tablets and adoption significantly outpacing IoT-specific counterparts, the report indicates an increasingly mature and stable ecosystem.
The implication for MNOs and MVNOs is straightforward: simply offering eSIM support is no longer enough. Buyers expect dynamic packages, fully digital onboarding, instant activation, multi-device bundles and global availability. These aren't differentiators anymore. They're the baseline.
The rapid availability of certified UICC and eIM products following the publication of SGP.32 demonstrates strong market readiness. High support for optional features including immediate enabling via default SM-DP+, eUICC memory reset and IoT minimal profiles, confirms that adaptability for a range of applications is key for commercial IoT deployments.
Operators need to match that readiness. That means supporting remote provisioning, dynamic profile management and diverse global use cases. Without this flexibility, operators risk limiting their ability to compete in the enterprise space.
Despite new IoT standards being introduced, M2M eSIM remains firmly embedded in automotive, industrial and regulated sectors. Continued certification activity under established M2M standards confirms its role for long-lifecycle and mission-critical deployments.
M2M and newer frameworks operate in parallel. Operators must support consumer, IoT and M2M frameworks simultaneously. This is a fundamental requirement to serve the full enterprise and industrial landscape.
Looking across segments, it is clear that although regulation is there to ensure interoperability and avoid fragmentation, the eSIM market is diverse. The aim is to avoid forcing different use cases into a single, ill-fitting model. However, for operators, the variety directly translates into operational complexity.
Choosing the right wholesale eSIM partner is how operators absorb that complexity without letting it slow them down.
Although all players in the eSIM market must adhere to compliance standards, it does not mean all products are created equal. Just as the standards are designed to serve multiple use cases, operators need to work with platform partners that give them maximum flexibility.
The right wholesale partner is an essential part of capitalizing on the eSIM opportunity and therefore it is crucial to select one that meets the following criteria:
Proven compliance across the entire eSIM ecosystem: Look for listings in GSMA compliance databases and the ability to support consumer, IoT, and M2M specifications.
Usability and scalability: Compliance is only part of the picture, operators need their partner to offer features like API integrations, multi-tenant support, seamless workflows to support operators as they launch and scale services.
Support for multiple eSIM business models: MNOs and MVNOs have opportunities across consumer, IoT and M2M segments, it is essential that their wholesale partner supports the different standards for each customer type to maximize revenue opportunities.
Seamless onboarding: Whether the standard requires push or pull activation, being able to seamlessly onboard devices is essential for consumer user-experience and commercial IoT scalability.
Operational transparency: Although MNOs and MVNOs need their wholesale partner to manage compliance across the end-to-end provisioning process, they need full visibility for their own regulatory compliance.
eSIM compliance has been built collaboratively from the start, which is why the ecosystem is in a strong position to scale. The challenge for MNOs and MVNOs is keeping pace across multiple standards and deployment models without sacrificing speed to market.
Telna has been an eSIM leader since the technology's early days. Our platforms cover every segment, and our compliance track record turns regulatory complexity into commercial confidence. Get in touch to find out more.
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