Soaring growth seen in global IoT eSIM connections by 2028
Automotive, logistics, and O&G sectors to benefit greatly
New research predicts a remarkable surge in global IoT eSIM connections, reaching nearly 1.3 billion by 2028, up from 165 million in 2024.
This exponential growth is attributed to the emergence of advanced eSIM specifications, which offer enhanced flexibility for enterprises to remotely provision eSIM profile switching across IoT devices.
According to the study commissioned by the UK-based market research company Juniper Research, the recent introduction of the GSMA’s SGP.32 technical specification for eSIM remote provisioning in IoT devices marks a significant milestone, enabling remote activation of eSIM profiles through an eIM (eSIM IoT Manager).
Removing constraints
This innovation eliminates previous constraints faced by IoT devices, which relied on SMS for profile activation.
The study identifies the automotive, logistics, and oil & gas industries as the primary beneficiaries of this new specification.
These sectors, demanding small form factors, are anticipated to contribute to over half of all eSIM-enabled IoT devices by 2028.
The key driver for growth in these industries is the ability to ensure interoperable connectivity, facilitated by the SGP.32 specification.
Furthermore, the research anticipates the imminent arrival of additional standards, highlighting SGP.42 as crucial for stakeholders.
SGP.42 offers functionality similar to SGP.32 but is designed explicitly for iSIM devices. iSIMs further reduce device form factors while retaining the same functionality.
Elisha Sudlow-Poole, the report’s author, stressed the importance of stakeholders preparing for SGP.42 immediately as iSIM standards are finalised.
Sudlow-Poole recommended the development of standard-agnostic platforms that are flexible to upcoming form factors, certifications, and use-case demands to capitalise on the eSIM and iSIM market growth.
The comprehensive research suite unveiled by Juniper Research provides the most thorough assessment of the eSIMs and iSIMs market to date, featuring insightful market analysis and in-depth forecasts for 60 countries.
The dataset includes over 143,000 market statistics within five years, offering a ‘Competitor Leaderboard’ and Country Readiness Index to examine current and future market opportunities.
Featured image: eSIM remote provisioning enables remote activation of eSIM profiles through an eIM. Credit: rawpixel.com
