Part of the topic: 🔐 Online security

eSIM statistics 2026: adoption, devices and roaming

Key numbers about eSIM and travel eSIMs – each linked to its source.

1. GSMA Intelligence forecasts 4.9 billion eSIM smartphone connections by 2030, equal to 55% of all smartphone connections.

   Source: GSMA Intelligence (via Telecoms.com, 21 Aug 2025) (2025)

2. In 2024, eSIM accounted for only 3% of smartphone connections worldwide, and nearly half of them were in the US.

   Source: GSMA Intelligence (via Telecoms.com) (2024)

3. GSMA Intelligence has lowered its outlook: a 2022 forecast had expected 6.7 billion eSIM smartphone connections by 2030 (76% of the total).

   Source: GSMA Intelligence (2022)

4. GSMA counted 333 eSIM-capable device models announced in 2024 (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches and more), up from 231 in 2023, plus 62 in the first half of 2025.

   Source: GSMA Intelligence (via Telecoms.com) (2025)

5. Juniper Research expects eSIM connections to grow from about 1.2 billion in 2025 to 4.9 billion by 2030.

   Source: Juniper Research, 'eSIM and iSIM Market 2025-2030' (via Tom's Hardware Italia, 27 Jan 2026) (2026)

6. Juniper Research forecasts device eSIM usage to grow 30% in 2026, from 1.2 billion to about 1.5 billion connections.

   Source: Juniper Research (via ICTbusiness) (2026)

7. Travel eSIM package revenue was forecast to reach USD 1.8 billion by the end of 2025, an 85% increase from USD 989 million in 2024.

   Source: Juniper Research (via Telco Magazine, 13 Oct 2025) (2025)

8. The travel eSIM market is expected to exceed USD 8.7 billion by 2030; in leading markets travel eSIM adoption is growing nearly 50% a year.

   Source: Juniper Research (via Telco Magazine) (2025)

9. The EU's 'Roam like at home' rules were extended in 2022 for another 10 years, until June 2032 (Regulation (EU) 2022/612). The Commission's 2025 review found the regime 'remains fit for purpose'.

   Source: European Commission report COM(2025) 324 on the review of the roaming market (2025)

10. The EU caps the wholesale price for roaming data at EUR 1.30/GB in 2025, EUR 1.10/GB in 2026 and EUR 1.00/GB from 2027 (down from EUR 2.00/GB in 2022).

    Source: European Commission report COM(2025) 324 (2026)

11. From 2025, the EU wholesale cap for voice roaming is 1.9 euro cents per minute.

    Source: European Commission report COM(2025) 324 (2025)

12. Since 1 January 2026, Ukraine and Moldova have been part of the EU 'Roam like at home' area (Council decisions of 14 and 25 July 2025).

    Source: Council of the EU press release (2026)

13. Under EU fair use rules, operators may monitor usage and presence over 4 months. If roaming prevails (more than half the time), they can warn the customer and charge a surcharge if behaviour does not change within 2 weeks.

    Source: BIPT (Belgian telecom regulator) (2022)

14. For cheap 'open data bundles', the EU roaming data allowance can be limited to at least twice the volume given by the monthly price (excluding VAT) divided by the wholesale data cap.

    Source: BIPT (Belgian telecom regulator) (2022)

15. Apple's iPhone Air (launched in 2025) has no physical SIM slot, even in Europe; it works with eSIM only.

    Source: netzwelt.de (2025)

See our travel eSIM comparison →

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