Boost Mobile introduced eSIM compatibility through its app overnight. As of this morning a prompt in the app calls for users to “Buy a prepaid plan on eSIM”, but the functionality will not go live on other purchasing platforms.
For the time being, this seems to be a sparse release. At the time of writing, the Boost Mobile website states that the provider doesn’t offer eSIM, and a ‘more info’ link from the app leads to a bare eSIM landing page. Boost Mobile confirmed that eSIM will need to be purchased, activated and managed through its phone app to ensure the device is compatible before purchase.
With this addition Boost Mobile joins the growing number of Australian providers offering eSIM mobile plans. eSIM plans utilise an electronic, or embedded SIM in the hardware of a mobile device rather than needing to insert a physical SIM card. These embedded SIMs are rewritable, allowing users to download the software that allows a mobile connection, in turn making switching providers more efficient.
eSIM is still a budding technology in Australia, but over the past couple of years it has grown substantially. 11 Australian mobile providers offered the technology in early 2023, and that number has now grown to 18 with the inclusion of Boost Mobile. With more than 50 mobile providers in the country, even this growing number indicates that adoption is slow.
Part of this is due to the small amount of available devices that support the technology. Not all mobile phones are compatible with eSIM, and cheaper handsets are typically physical SIM only in Australia. All newer flagships have the capacity built in however; Google Pixels from the 3a upward, Samsung S20 and newer, and iPhones from the XR to the iPhone 15 all include the technology as standard. Consumer uptake is still lean however.
In 2022 Telstra reported that 450,000 devices used eSIM but this number included wearables where physical SIM cards aren’t an option. For comparison, there are over 22.77 million mobile subscriptions in Australia.
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