Only with ESIM: iPhone Air is driving European mobile operators

With the iPhone Air, Apple has provided customers such as mobile phone providers with completed facts: The new model series is only available worldwide with a permanently integrated ESIM, a slot for inserting a classic SIM card. European network operators are taking care of this long -awaited upheaval.

The large platform operators Apple and Google are able to easily allow their customers to “select the mobile phone tariff directly on the device”, Quotes Le Monde the manager of a French mobile operator. The network operators fear that this will lose customer loyalty and to be able to sell them no further offers and services.

Network operators are weakened

The exclusive deals between smartphone manufacturers and individual mobile phone providers are also conceivable in order to present certain ESIM tariffs on the device, the manager, which is not mentioned by name-fears that European competition authorities will intervene in this case. There are discussions with the manufacturers so that a “such kind of war” is avoided, another manager of the great French telecommunications company Orange to the newspaper – “we make sure that they will not get in our way”.

Apple gradually abolishes the SIM card slot: The iPhone Air is the first device that is now putting on the ESIM worldwide. The remaining iPhone-17 series continues to have a Sim-Kartenslot in many markets, including Europe-in ​​addition to the also integrated ESIM. In the USA and certain other countries, however, iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max also only exist with ESIM-it is also with Google’s Pixel 10 series. Apple uses the additional space to accommodate a larger battery. The SIM pitch is also missing in new iPads.

Competition hearing already informed

At the beginning of the year, two British mobile operators had already contacted the competition authority there: Pure Esim smartphones enabled the smartphone giant to expand their supremacy on the mobile phone market, it was said at the time. The regulators should check whether advantages are obtained from this power position. As a risk, the network operators also named “Disintermediation” by the manufacturers and thus ultimately a loss of customer loyalty.