Reinvented eSIM implementation for IoT devices

Antony's role
business model creator, product manager, business developer

The Challenge
How to make the SGP.02 eSIM standard work at scale for mobile phone manufacturers.

The solution
Create the highly disruptive Device Connect architecture. An innovation between Ericsson and Thales where the prohibitively expensive inter-operator eSIM mesh architecture is replaced with a hub-and-spoke model and the need for a lead operator to provide an individual bootstrap profile for each physical eSIM is replaced with a generic eSIM with a global bootstrap functionality. OEMs would be able to easily solder generic eSIMs onto their devices and remotely instruct each device on which downloadable operator profile from the marketplace it should download at bootstrap. This contrasted with the expensive installation of a tailored eSIM operator configuration.

Results
The technology solution worked but with multiple participants and many moving parts, it took too long to develop and the market window started to close. SGP.32 (next generation eSIM) and SGP.42 (In Factory Profile Provisioning) standards were just around the corner and the potential lifecycle of Device Connect was estimated to be only a few years. Antony completed the project just before commercial availability.

Lessons learned
Always keep an eye on the window of opportunity and pay attention to the evolution of standards. The more complex the innovation and the more moving parts, the greater the risk that it will take too long to reach the market.