Telwel eSIM

Main article: ESIM (Embedded SIM) Electronic SIM card

2021: Start selling virtual SIM cards for trips abroad in Russia

In early October 2021, virtual SIM cards began to be sold in Russia for trips abroad. Such a service was launched by the Russian company Telwel in collaboration with the British telecom operator Truphone.

Telwel sells eSIM with tariffs involving the use of a SIM card only for access to the Internet - it is impossible to use traditional voice communication and SMS. An email address and name are required to register the eSIM. With the help of virtual "simokes" you can use the Internet abroad cheaper than regular roaming, Telwel says.

To use the service, you need to have a special built-in chip on your smartphone. By the beginning of October 2021, more than 20 models are being sold in Russia, and smartphones Apple Samsung Huawei about ten Apple tablets with eSIM support.

In Russia, virtual SIM cards began to be sold for trips abroad

Pavel Lavrenkov, a member of the commission on legal support for the digital economy of the Moscow branch of the Russian Bar Association, in a conversation with Kommersant, noted that the company does not violate the law by selling only Internet traffic, not minutes.

According to him. in the rules for the provision of telematic communication services, there is a reservation on the possibility of identifying the subscriber using methods other than personal appearance with the document or through the public services portal. Mobile Research Group analyst Eldar Murtazin noted that there is no law on regulating eSIM in Russia, so the new service is still in the gray zone.

MTS They told the publication that they do not plan to sell tourist eSIM. Tele2 The company said that they can technically develop projects similar to Telwel, but the operator already has products that are more profitable for customers by a combination of factors.

The press service of M.Video-Eldorado told the newspaper that from the beginning of 2021 to October, the penetration of smartphones with virtual SIM cards doubled to about 3.6 million units with a total market volume of about 21.5 million^[1]

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