The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it would discuss with telecoms ways to waive a NT$300 fee to have embedded SIM (eSIM) cards installed on mobile phones.
Unlike traditional SIM cards, which must be manually inserted into SIM slots on phones, an eSIM card can be installed by scanning a QR code provided by a telecom.
When changing to a new mobile phone, users can use “over the air” wireless technology to reinstall their eSIM on the new phone.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Apart from saving users the hassle of changing SIM cards, an eSIM also makes it possible for users to have dual SIM cards installed on a smartphone, allowing work and personal calls on the same device.
However, eSIMs can only be installed on newer smartphone models that support the feature, and users are charged a NT$300 fee when they purchase a new phone or switch to a different telecom.
Although there is no production cost for eSIM cards, the information security and verification technologies required for remote transmission are quite complex, the commission said.
“As such, so far only platforms verified by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association can issue eSIM cards, which would regularly charge telecoms maintenance fees, eSIM installation fees and fees for securing electronic serial numbers,” it said.
Such costs cannot be unilaterally decided by telecoms, the commission said.
“We will work with the telecoms to see if there is room for fee reduction,” NCC Vice Chairman and spokesperson Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
Currently, telecoms waive eSIM installation fees if subscribers install them for the first time. They also waive the fees for “VIP” customers and people who have recently renewed their service contracts or need to change to a new eSIM every five years.
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