Incorrect, they can have an assigned phone number and can do anything a normal SIM can do.
There are SIMs (either physical or eSIM) that do not have a phone number and/or has restrictions on what it can do. It's not the form itself that limits the functionality, it's the mobile network provider who decides what functionality each individual SIM has.
E.g. Mobile card payment devices may have a SIM that has no phone number and is data only with connection only permitted via a certain gateway to the payment provider.
When an eSIM in a phone is provisioned to a carrier, with some plan, usually it does have a phone number and could send and receive SMS.
Though yes you are correct, if you're only thinking of a single chip (eSIM) instead of the system it usually goes in yes, you are be correct - those systems can currently exist.
iSIM, integrated eSIM with SOC (cpu, gpu, ram, wireless baseband, eSIM) will eventually be more common in phones.
Unless we are thinking of different technologies, you can use esims for all of that? Just last week I ordered a usmobile.com esim, installed it on my phone, received a +1 415 number and received and sent SMS with it
whypretend|2 years ago
Speculative questions:
Maybe there are some number switching, chip level protocol mitigations inherent to the standard?
Maybe carriers can push locks or there is remote attestation that could inhibit more than 4 registrations?
Will read up. I've never read the eSIM standards.
maratc|2 years ago
kiwijamo|2 years ago
There are SIMs (either physical or eSIM) that do not have a phone number and/or has restrictions on what it can do. It's not the form itself that limits the functionality, it's the mobile network provider who decides what functionality each individual SIM has.
E.g. Mobile card payment devices may have a SIM that has no phone number and is data only with connection only permitted via a certain gateway to the payment provider.
whypretend|2 years ago
Though yes you are correct, if you're only thinking of a single chip (eSIM) instead of the system it usually goes in yes, you are be correct - those systems can currently exist.
iSIM, integrated eSIM with SOC (cpu, gpu, ram, wireless baseband, eSIM) will eventually be more common in phones.
Look up: "remote sim provisioning"
jackweirdy|2 years ago