eSIM Weekly Report: December 22-28, 2025

Summary

The final full week of 2025 saw modest eSIM industry activity as organizations entered the holiday period. Despite reduced news flow during Christmas week, two significant developments emerged: a strategic partnership integrating travel eSIM into airport transportation services, and a major Middle Eastern carrier launching industrial IoT eSIM capabilities. The week's stories underscore eSIM's evolution from standalone connectivity products into integrated travel services and enterprise infrastructure.

Top Stories

1. Transpovia Partners with Holafly to Integrate eSIM into Airport Transportation (Dec 22)

Source: PR Newswire via Morningstar

Transpovia, a global airport ground transportation platform, announced a strategic partnership with Holafly to embed travel eSIM services directly into its booking flow. The collaboration enables customers to purchase Holafly eSIM data plans alongside pre-booked airport transfers, addressing a critical pain point in international travel.

Key Details:

• Integration model: Travelers can activate eSIM data before departure or upon arrival, eliminating physical SIM cards and airport kiosk queues
• Use case optimization: Designed for coordination with drivers, accessing booking confirmations, navigation, and real-time updates during flight delays
• Target segments: International travelers, families, business travelers arriving in unfamiliar destinations where immediate connectivity reduces stress

Why It Matters:
Transpovia founder Rich Michel stated: "Transportation and connectivity go hand in hand. By partnering with Holafly, we're giving our customers an easy way to stay connected and informed, which helps reduce friction during airport pickups and onward travel."

The partnership exemplifies the "connectivity-as-a-service" trend where eSIM transitions from telecom product to embedded travel utility. Holafly serves 190+ destinations, and the integration reflects growing demand for seamless digital tools supporting mobility, communication, and coordination throughout international journeys.

Market Context:
Travel eSIM providers like Holafly, Airalo, and Saily have seen rapid growth by simplifying roaming. According to GSMA data cited in previous weeks, 51% of eSIM users deploy the technology specifically for travel. Integration into booking platforms—alongside fintechs like Revolut and travel apps—signals eSIM's evolution from point solution to invisible infrastructure layer.

2. Ooredoo Qatar Launches Industrial IoT eSIM Solution (Dec 29)

Source: Developing Telecoms

Ooredoo Qatar introduced an end-to-end eSIM solution targeting large-scale industrial IoT deployments, providing QR code-based activation, remote provisioning, and centralized management for enterprises scaling connected device operations across borders.

Key Details:

• Deployment method: QR code activation eliminates physical SIM swaps, enabling faster rollouts and streamlined lifecycle management
• Security compliance: Adheres to GSMA standards with TLS 1.2+ encryption, one-time activation codes, and mandatory KYC/eKYC validation
• Global scalability: Devices can dynamically access and switch between multiple networks internationally via Ooredoo's roaming coverage
• Management platform: Centralized dashboard for monitoring usage, controlling subscriptions, and optimizing performance across entire connectivity footprint

Target Verticals:

• Smart cities
• Transportation and logistics
• Healthcare
• Oil and gas
• Manufacturing
• Utilities

Executive Perspective:
Thani Ali Al-Malki, Chief Business Officer at Ooredoo Qatar: "With our eSIM offering, customers can reduce complexity, improve security, and expand their IoT operations with greater control and confidence, whether they operate locally or across borders."

Why It Matters:
The launch addresses the Middle East's accelerating IoT adoption, particularly in oil & gas, smart city projects, and industrial automation. Ooredoo's solution offers:

1. Reduced TCO: No physical SIM logistics or swapping
2. Enhanced security: Embedded credentials resistant to tampering
3. Agile provisioning: Remote network switching without device access

Market Trajectory:
According to Kaleido Intelligence forecasts referenced in prior reports, IoT eSIM connections will reach 4.5 billion by 2030, with 40% of cellular IoT powered by eSIM. Automotive currently leads, but logistics, healthcare, utilities, and smart cities are expanding rapidly—precisely the verticals Ooredoo targets.

Market Analysis

Holiday Week Activity Pattern

December 22-28 represents the quietest week for eSIM news in Q4 2025, consistent with year-end holiday patterns. Most operators, vendors, and market research firms pause announcements between December 23-January 2.

Despite low volume, the week's stories reflect ongoing macro trends:

1. eSIM Embedding into Adjacent Services

Travel platforms, fintechs, and transportation providers increasingly integrate connectivity as native feature rather than standalone product. Transpovia's partnership follows Revolut's eSIM launch, airline eSIM integrations (LATAM Airlines), and fintech bundling strategies.

2. Enterprise IoT eSIM Acceleration in MENA

Middle Eastern operators—particularly Gulf states—are prioritizing industrial IoT eSIM for smart city, energy, and logistics deployments. Ooredoo Qatar's launch follows:

• UAE's e& launching eSIM-enabled 5G FWA gateways
• Saudi Arabia's stc Group signing 5-year Ericsson deals
• Regional focus on SGP.32 IoT standard adoption

3. B2B eSIM Value Proposition Maturing

Both stories emphasize operational benefits over connectivity itself:

• Transpovia: Reduced friction, driver coordination, seamless arrival
• Ooredoo: Reduced complexity, improved security, global control

This shift from "connectivity product" to "enabler of business outcomes" reflects eSIM's maturation beyond early adopter phase.

Industry Trends

Travel eSIM Market Consolidation

With 100+ travel eSIM providers competing, partnerships with booking platforms provide differentiation and distribution advantages. Providers securing integrations with airlines, hotels, and transportation platforms gain embedded user bases versus standalone app downloads.

Competitive dynamics:

• Scale leaders: Airalo, Holafly dominate marketing spend and brand recognition
• Integration plays: Providers partnering with OTAs, fintechs, airlines capture transaction-adjacent demand
• Carrier competition: Traditional operators like Vodafone, Orange launching travel eSIM sub-brands

IoT eSIM Standards Adoption (SGP.32)

Ooredoo's GSMA-compliant solution reflects widespread adoption of SGP.32, the IoT-specific eSIM standard released in 2024. SGP.32 enables:

• Enterprise ownership: Companies retain control of connectivity policies
• Multi-IMSI management: Devices store multiple operator profiles
• Lifecycle automation: Remote provisioning, updates, deactivation

Adoption trajectory:

• 2024: SGP.32 specification finalized, vendor platforms certified
• 2025: Major operators (Ooredoo, KPN, Wireless Logic) launch commercial services
• 2026+: Enterprise procurement increasingly requires SGP.32 support

Security as Differentiator

Ooredoo's emphasis on TLS 1.2+, one-time codes, and KYC validation addresses enterprise concerns about IoT security breaches. As connected device deployments scale to millions of units, tamper-resistant embedded credentials become critical versus removable physical SIMs vulnerable to swapping or theft.

Strategic Implications

For Travel eSIM Providers

Distribution partnerships > direct-to-consumer marketing
As competition intensifies and customer acquisition costs rise, securing embedded placements in booking flows offers sustainable growth versus app store discovery.

Key question: Will dominant travel platforms (Booking.com, Expedia, Airbnb) eventually white-label or acquire eSIM providers to capture connectivity margins?

For IoT Solution Buyers

SGP.32 readiness assessment required
Enterprises deploying new IoT projects in 2026+ should evaluate:

1. Vendor SGP.32 support (device manufacturers, connectivity providers)
2. Internal provisioning platform capabilities
3. Multi-operator strategy for redundancy and cost optimization

Risk: Locking into proprietary eSIM solutions could create vendor dependency as industry standardizes on SGP.32.

For Telecom Operators

B2B eSIM: Higher margins than consumer
While consumer travel eSIM faces commoditization pressure (as noted in December 15-21 report showing 13% revenue/GB decline), enterprise IoT eSIM offers:

• Long-term contracts
• Volume commitments
• Managed services premium
• Lower churn than consumer segments

Strategic focus: Operators should prioritize industrial verticals (utilities, logistics, automotive) over commodity travel eSIM.

Week Ahead Watch

January 2-5, 2026: Industry Restart

Expect limited announcements until January 6, when:

• CES 2026 (Las Vegas, Jan 7-10): Device manufacturers showcase eSIM-enabled consumer electronics, automotive connectivity
• Q4 2025 earnings season: Operators report year-end eSIM adoption metrics, device attachment rates
• 2026 strategy announcements: Vendors outline SGP.32 roadmaps, enterprise IoT platforms

Key Metrics to Monitor

• Consumer eSIM attach rate: What percentage of new device activations used eSIM in Q4 2025?
• Travel eSIM pricing: Continued compression or stabilization?
• IoT eSIM module shipments: Counterpoint, ABI Research Q4 data expected late January
• China market updates: Any expansion of eSIM support to mid-range Android devices from local OEMs?

Conclusion

While December 22-28 represented the slowest news week of Q4 2025, the stories published underscore structural shifts in the eSIM ecosystem:

1. From product to platform: eSIM embedding into travel services, fintech apps, enterprise infrastructure
2. Enterprise IoT acceleration: SGP.32 enabling industrial-scale deployments with security and flexibility
3. Geographic expansion: MENA operators prioritizing IoT eSIM for smart city and energy sector digitalization

The quiet holiday week sets the stage for renewed activity in January 2026, when CES device announcements, Q4 financial results, and strategic roadmap updates will clarify eSIM's trajectory into the new year.

Looking ahead: CES 2026 (January 7-10) will likely showcase eSIM-only smartphones from Chinese OEMs, automotive eSIM integrations, and wearable connectivity innovations—making the first full week of January the pivot point for 2026's eSIM narrative.