While MVNOs like Afrihost AirMobile have launched the ability to buy prepaid eSIMs online in the past year, Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C, and Rain have yet to offer the capability.
At least five South African mobile virtual network operators started offering prepaid eSIMs online since mid-2023, while the country’s major mobile operators all require prepaid subscribers to visit a physical store to get one.
eSIMs make it simple for new users to sign up to a network without getting a physical SIM at a store or waiting for it to be delivered to their chosen address. eSIM-enabled phones can store numerous eSIMs at the same time, allowing users to jump from one network to another to find which offers the best service in a given scenario.
The first smartphones to support eSIM rolled out by Google in 2017 and the technology has since seen rapid uptake, proving particularly popular in the US. While they initially only supported eSIMs for contract customers, Vodacom and MTN added prepaid eSIMs in 2023.Telkom has told MyBroadband that it now has over 90,000 active eSIM users on its network, about three years after launching support.
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