IDEMIA, Kigen emerge as specialists while Truphone VALID, Oasis Smart SIM, Workz and RedTea Mobile are referred to as dark horses, in position to challenge the status quo in the future.

Seoul, Hong Kong, New Delhi, Beijing, London, Buenos Aires, San Diego

30th May 2022

G+D and Thales continue to lead the eSIM Enablement landscape, according to Counterpoint Research’s eSIM CORE (COmpetitive, Ranking & Evaluation) report. Integrated incumbents such as Giesecke+Devrient (G+D), Thales and IDEMIA along with relatively newer entrants like Kigen have led the pack and boast robust eSIM enablement capabilities, from having their own embedded secure elements and eUICC and iUICC operating systems to having developed offerings for consumer, automotive and IoT applications. This has helped them score well in terms of “completeness” in our evaluation.

More than five billion eSIM (eUICC- and iUICC-based) capable devices will be shipped cumulatively in the next five years. To better understand the positioning, platform capabilities and competence of various eSIM enablement players, Counterpoint has analyzed and evaluated key eSIM enablers, ranging from fully integrated companies to hardware-based eSIM vendors. The CORE (COmpetitive, Ranking & Evaluation) framework ranks different players in terms of completeness and capabilities such as Firmware, Compliance, Interoperability, Geographical Reach, partnerships and wins across the ecosystem.

Exhibit 1: eSIM Enablement CORE Scorecard for Integrated Players

Source: eSIM CORE (COmpetitive, Ranking & Evaluation) Scorecard & Analysis, April 2022

Commenting on the competitive landscape, Research Vice President Neil Shah, highlighted, “G+D leads the Enablement CORE Scorecard. It leads in several important parameters such as OS, interoperability, security and has enabled the highest number of consumer eSIM capable devices including smartphones, smartwatches, and tablets. It enables more than half of all eSIM capable smartphones and tablets and more than two-thirds of all eSIM capable smartwatches. Its success in the consumer and IoT eSIM space makes it the deserved leader. Thales is a close second on the list, and it has excellent scores in parameters such as OS, interoperability and leads the chart in mobility enablement. Thales has built a strong consumer and IoT eSIM offering, enabling a range of consumer and IoT devices. It is also among the leaders in supporting many eSIM enabled industrial IoT applications.”

Mr. Shah further added, “The leaders are followed by specialists, IDEMIA and Kigen. IDEMIA has activated more than 3 million eSIMs. It has excellent scores in parameters such as interoperability, compliance and leads the scorecard in IoT enablement. Kigen is ranked fourth and is one of the fastest moving players in the eSIM enablement landscape. It leads the scoring in firmware, compliance and security. It delivered the industry’s first EAL5+ certified iSIM hardware in partnership with Sequans. Kigen has built strong partnerships across the value chain which has helped it enable at scale. Truphone, VALID and Oasis Smart SIM, Workz and RedTea Mobile are positioned as dark horses, well-positioned to consolidate their capabilities and challenge the leaders.”

Exhibit 2: eSIM Enablement CORE Scorecard Hardware Enablement

Source: eSIM CORE (COmpetitive, Ranking & Evaluation) Scorecard & Analysis, April 2022

Research Analyst Ankit Malhotra commented on changing role of hardware enablers in the ecosystem: “Semiconductor companies such as STMicroelectronics, NXP and Infineon have been the key suppliers of secure hardware eSIM chipsets, partnering with the eUICC OS vendors as above and in some cases having their own in-house integrated solutions. With the move to iUICC on the horizon, their role will become especially important.”

The comprehensive and in-depth report on “eSIM Ecosystem – Opportunities, Trends, Evaluation, Analysis and Outlook” is available now – please contact Counterpoint Research to discuss how to gain access to the report.

Background:

Counterpoint Technology Market Research is a global research firm specializing in products in the TMT (technology, media and telecom) industry. It services major technology and financial firms with a mix of monthly reports, customized projects, and detailed analyses of the mobile and technology markets. Its key analysts are seasoned experts in the high-tech industry.

Analyst Contacts:

Ankit Malhotra

Neil Shah

Counterpoint Research
press(at)counterpointresearch.com