Vodafone-Idea has finally launched its eSIM services in India, well after fellow telecom operators Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio launched their eSIM services in the country. The rollout is still being done in phases, but users of Vodafone India or Idea’s network will take heart from the fact that a wider rollout of the eSIM services may be coming soon, in the near future. Right now, the Vodafone-Idea eSIM services have only been given a limited rollout, covering a select few number of devices, and being operational in a limited number of circles.
According to Vodafone-Idea, only the new crop of Apple’s iPhones will be eligible to use Vodafone eSIM services at the moment. The eligible devices that can use Vodafone eSIM include 2019’s iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max, 2018’s iPhone XR, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, and the 2020 iPhone SE. According to reports, Vodafone-Idea will offer its eSIM services in other premium devices from other OEMs such as in Samsung’s foldable smartphones (Galaxy Fold/Galaxy Z Flip) in the near future.
In terms of regions, the Vodafone eSIM services will be available to Vodafone and Idea users of the aforementioned phones in metropolitan circles such as Delhi, Gujarat and Mumbai. By rolling the services out in select circles, Vodafone-Idea is likely testing the waters in terms of how the service is adopted, before rolling it out in other circles. Most telecom operators typically employ such strategies even in prepaid recharge plans in order to optimise operating expenses – something that has been a key concern for Vodafone-Idea at times.
How to activate Vodafone eSIM services on phone
If you are living in one of the above-mentioned regions, and have one of the eligible iPhones, you will be technically allowed to switch to an eSIM on your device. To do so, you will be required to have an active postpaid connection. The next step is to check if you have your email address linked to your phone number. If it is linked, simply send ‘eSIM (email address)’ to 199. A confirmation message will then be sent to your email inbox against your eSIM request, containing a single-use QR code. Now, on your iPhone, go to Settings - Mobile Data - Add Data Plan - Scan QR code. Scan the code that was sent by Vodafone-Idea to your email, and your eSIM services should be activated with this.
For those who do not have their email addresses registered with Vodafone-Idea, send ‘email (email address)’ to 199, to register your email address against your phone number. The operator will subsequently send a confirmation message against this request, to which users will need to reply by writing ‘ESIMY’.
Users wishing to get a new eSIM connection will be required to visit their nearest Vodafone stores with requisite documents and photographs, as well as an eligible smartphone.
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