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As such, two out of three major network providers in Vietnam, Viettel and VinaPhone, have implemented eSIM technology. The remaining provider, Mobifone, has yet to announce its plan.
1. Following Viettel's initiative, VinaPhone confirms the deployment of eSIM in Vietnam.
Thus, two out of three major network providers in Vietnam, Viettel and VinaPhone, have implemented eSIM technology. The remaining provider, Mobifone, has yet to announce its plan.
Recently, we published an article about Viettel's plan to become the first network provider in Vietnam to use eSIM. This is a new SIM technology with many advantages over traditional SIM cards, especially highlighted after the launch of the iPhone XS. You can learn more about eSIM here.
eSIMs are significantly smaller in size (even compared to Nano SIMs) and are integrated directly into the device.
Following Viettel's announcement of eSIM research, VinaPhone has also confirmed to us their plans to deploy this technology in the near future. Here is the statement VinaPhone provided to us:
VinaPhone has actively researched eSIM and successfully tested it on electricity meters. Immediately after Apple's launch of a new product integrating eSIM, VinaPhone has been working with system providers to consider technical options for declaring the use of eSIM for VinaPhone subscribers. Additionally, VinaPhone is promoting discussions with Apple partners to quickly integrate and declare eSIM for VinaPhone network subscribers.
Similar to Viettel, although VinaPhone has confirmed the start of eSIM research, they have not provided a specific timeline yet. Vietnamese users will have to continue waiting if they wish to utilize this technology.
As such, 2 out of 3 major network providers in Vietnam, Viettel and VinaPhone, have announced plans to deploy eSIM. The remaining provider, Mobifone, is currently 'sitting on the sidelines,' and we will update once Mobifone releases official information.
Apple product users will be the primary beneficiaries when Vietnamese telecom providers implement eSIM. The new iPhone XS and XS Max series support dual SIM, but one of the SIMs relies on eSIM technology and cannot yet be used in Vietnam. Apple has a model of iPhone XS Max with two physical SIMs, but it is only sold in China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The new eSIM is currently only used by a few network providers in 10 countries worldwide, most of which are developed countries.
Additionally, Apple has integrated eSIM into the Apple Watch Series 3 & Series 4 smartwatches. With support from network providers, users can make/receive calls, send/receive messages, and access the internet directly on the watch without needing to carry a phone.
