G+D, Thales and Valid have emerged as ‘Pacesetters’ in Counterpoint Research’s Global eSIM Enablement Competitive Ranking and Evaluation (CORE) for 2026, according to the latest Global eSIM Enablement Landscape Report.

Commenting on the eSIM enablement rankings and competitive landscape, Senior Analyst Varun Gupta said, “The global eSIM ecosystem continued to expand in 2025, with total shipments across consumer, automotive and IoT segments increasing by 32% YoY. Consumer growth was driven primarily by premium smartphones and smartwatches, with gradual expansion into mid-tier portfolios expected as OEMs broaden standardisation efforts. Automotive deployments continued to benefit from the expansion of connected car services and embedded telematics platforms, while IoT growth was supported by increasing adoption across asset tracking, smart metering and industrial use cases where remote lifecycle management is becoming essential.”

Gupta added, “On the capability front, vendors continued strengthening OS maturity, secure personalisation frameworks and production-stage customisation to support growing deployment volumes. As eSIM penetration increases across consumer, automotive and IoT devices, interoperability remains critical to ensure seamless integration across chipset, module, OEM and operator ecosystems at scale. While large-scale commercial iSIM deployments remain limited, several vendors enhanced their iSIM capabilities in 2025, improving secure integration models and personalisation approaches. These developments highlight the strategic importance of iSIM for future device architectures, particularly in space- and power-constrained designs.”

Commenting on the research findings, Research Director Mohit Agrawal said, “Thales and G+D remained pacesetters in this year’s ranking, consolidating their positions at the top. Thales continued to demonstrate leadership in automotive deployments and delivered one of the strongest performances in the capability assessment. G+D maintained strong momentum in consumer eSIM deployments while expanding its presence across automotive and IoT. Valid entered the pacesetter category for the first time, supported by improvements in OS maturity, growing iSIM readiness and continued focus on interoperability. The company also demonstrated strong growth in deployments across consumer, automotive and IoT segments.”

IDEMIA, Kigen, Eastcompeace, Trasna, Redtea Mobile and Tata Communications are positioned as Leaders in this year’s ranking. These vendors demonstrated strong execution within specific verticals while maintaining solid capability depth across OS maturity, security and interoperability readiness.

While shipment scale varies across the cohort, Leaders remain competitive through focused ecosystem partnerships, targeted deployment strategies and continued investment in platform evolution. Their positioning reflects balanced performance across capability and execution, just below the multi-vertical scale demonstrated by the pacesetters.

Watchdata emerged as a Challenger for the first time, reflecting improvements in execution and an expanding deployment footprint across key segments. The progression underscores continued capability development and strengthening commercial traction within the broader eSIM enablement ecosystem.

Background on capability and execution parameters

We have analysed and evaluated key companies in the eSIM value chain using our proprietary CORE framework, which maps active players according to their capabilities and success in the ecosystem.  Capability assesses technical depth, including eUICC and iSIM OS maturity, security and compliance readiness, hardware integration and production-stage personalisation. Execution measures geographical reach, partnerships, financial metrics, shipment scale across consumer, automotive and IoT segments. Together, these parameters provide a bal32anced view of both technological strength and market performance within the evolving eSIM ecosystem.

About Counterpoint Research

Counterpoint Research is a global market research firm specializing in products across the technology ecosystem. We advise a diverse range of clients – from smartphone OEMs to chipmakers and channel players to Big Tech – through our offices located in the world's major innovation hubs, manufacturing clusters and commercial centers. Our analyst team, led by seasoned experts, engages with stakeholders across the enterprise – from the C-suite to professionals in strategy, analyst relations (AR), market intelligence (MI), business intelligence (BI), product and marketing – to deliver services spanning market data, industry thought leadership and consulting. Our core areas of coverage include AI, Automotive, Consumer Electronics, Displays, eSIM, IoT, Location Platforms, Macroeconomics, Manufacturing, Networks and Infrastructure, Semiconductors, Smartphones and Wearables. Visit our Insights page to explore our publicly available market data, insights and thought leadership, and to understand our focus, meet our analysts and start a conversation.

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