Arriving at a foreign destination and having mobile internet working in minutes — no queues, no plastic SIMs and no surprises on the bill. That promise of eSIM is already real, and in 2024–2025 the ecosystem is evolving with changes that directly impact travelers and travel businesses. The most relevant developments include commercial models such as hosted-roaming, smoother activation experiences (Magic Links and automatic provisioning), strategic distribution via airports and airlines, and advances — as well as fragmentation — in device compatibility. Below is an actionable overview for product, marketing and operations teams in travel.
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Hosted-roaming: turning roaming into a scalable product
Hosted-roaming has consolidated as a commercial model: eSIM providers negotiate routing and tariffs with local mobile network operators (MNOs) to offer more competitive plans to visitors. Rather than relying on traditional roaming with high prices, hosted-roaming enables adjustment of price/quality, protects resale margin and allows regional offer customization. For travel companies, this means making attractive plans available with less purchase friction, turning connectivity into a predictable revenue stream. ezSIMConnect has already outlined this path as a strategic opportunity to capture inbound roaming market share.
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Sales at high-impact touchpoints: airports, airlines and kiosks
eSIM distribution is moving to high-conversion touchpoints: during ticket purchase, at check-in, within airline apps and at airport kiosks. Being close to the traveler’s journey increases adoption because the service is offered when the traveler most needs it. Case studies and documented integrations demonstrate that partnerships with airports and airlines raise conversion and improve convenience for users.
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Activation UX: Magic Links, improved QR codes and automatic provisioning
Activation is the critical moment of the experience. Beyond the traditional QR code, Magic Links are emerging that, when opened on a smartphone, automatically guide the user through activation (for example, opening Settings → Add Cellular Plan on iPhone). Self-service portals, provisioning APIs and guided flows reduce the need for human support and raise activation rates. Well-designed systems turn a purchase into an almost automatic process — and that’s where the purchase decision solidifies. ezSIMConnect already offers portals and APIs that support these automated flows.
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Device compatibility: progress with caveats
Support for eSIM is expanding — notably among iPhones and several Pixel models — yet fragmentation remains: variations by country, device variant and carrier-level locking (carrier locking). To reduce support requests and customer frustration, publishing clear compatibility lists and unlock instructions is essential. ezSIMConnect’s internal documentation highlights the need to warn users about market-specific device limitations.
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Monetization and the market: marketplaces, bundles and checkout integration
The market is professionalizing with eSIM marketplaces, OTA resale and bundles (e.g., eSIM + travel insurance). Integrating eSIM sales into the checkout is a commercial differentiator: it generates incremental revenue and improves the pre-trip experience. Dynamic pricing strategies, destination-based offers and short-stay packages are proving particularly effective for short-term tourists.
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Data, personalization and privacy
Digital provisioning generates usage signals (consumption by destination, popular packages, usage peaks). Those insights enable more relevant campaigns and upsells. At the same time, regulation and privacy best practices require transparency about data collection and use — clear policies and explicit consent are key to maintaining trust.
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Security and technical resilience
With APIs and remote provisioning, enforcing strict TLS, token authentication, payload validation and anomaly monitoring becomes essential to prevent fraud and outages. Detailed logging and alerting help identify failures that could impact ticket delivery and profile activation.
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Practical recommendations (for travel teams)
Prioritize the activation experience (Magic Links and clear instructions), publish an up-to-date device compatibility list, evaluate hosted-roaming to optimize cost/quality, formalize partnerships with airports/airlines and enhance API logging and monitoring — steps ezSIMConnect already supports with portals, integrations and operational assistance.
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Conclusion and CTA
eSIM is already a vector of competitive differentiation for travel. By reducing friction and designing well-thought connectivity products, companies can increase satisfaction and unlock new revenue. If you want to turn connectivity into a competitive advantage, ezSIMConnect offers integration, provisioning portals and operational support for pilots and scale. Contact us to design a pilot.