Multinational retail corporation Carrefour has announced a partnership with international communications enabler BICS to launch a new ‘travel eSIM’ through its mobile operator arm. Mobile users with compatible phones can purchase a pre-paid eSIM before travelling internationally, offering a more cost-effective alternative to traditional roaming rates, depending on the operator.
Based in France, Carrefour is one of the world’s largest hypermarket chains. In collaboration with BICS, this new offering simplifies and reduces the cost of using your phone abroad, giving the end-user greater control. Instead of risking high rates and ‘bill shock’ due to limited visibility over data usage, Carrefour’s prepaid eSIMs are self-managed and self-controlled.
BICS, a connectivity specialist, is facilitating Carrefour’s integration of travel eSIMs. BICS supplies the eSIM and global coverage through its roaming network. Downloaded via a QR code, travel eSIMs allow users to connect directly to the network in their destination, bypassing international traffic back to their home country, at a fraction of the cost of standard roaming.
With the European summer holiday season approaching, these travel eSIMs are timely for holidaymakers and travellers looking to save on phone bills and avoid relying solely on hotel WiFi. While EU operators offer mobile roaming in France at domestic rates, operators from outside the EU, including most UK operators, impose roaming charges.
“eSIMs are an exciting advancement for global connectivity,” said Jorn Vercamert, VP Customer Solutions & Products, BICS. “Consumers have yet to realise the benefits of eSIMs, but with products like this from Carrefour, that will quickly change. The eSIM digitalises connectivity, making it available with just a few clicks. BICS is making it easy for enterprise and consumer brands to integrate global connectivity into their offerings to improve the digital experience of their end-users.”
eSIMs, introduced in 2012, are currently seeing rapid adoption due to the increasing number of eSIM-compatible smartphones and growing consumer awareness of eSIMs and their services.
The launch of the eSIM-only iPhone 14 was a significant milestone in this trend. According to the GSMA, Europe has the second-fastest rate of smartphone eSIM adoption, trailing only North America, with over half of European smartphone connections expected to use eSIM by the end of 2027.
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