The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued recommendations aimed at enhancing the scope of 5G applications across various sectors by mandating certain requirements for embedded SIMs (eSIMs) in IoT devices. These recommendations, released on Thursday, address regulatory challenges in the IoT landscape, encompassing devices like smart meters, agricultural sensors, and more, which are witnessing growth amid the increasing digitization of the economy. TRAI emphasized that implementing these recommendations would foster orderly growth in the machine-to-machine (M2M) SIM segment of India’s telecom sector and spur the development of a domestic M2M eSIM ecosystem.
The telecom department will now evaluate these recommendations for potential implementation. TRAI’s suggestions aim to streamline the regulatory framework for M2M eSIMs in India, focusing on security measures such as proper KYC procedures and establishing a framework for profile switching and swapping of Subscription Manager Secure Routing (SM-SR). Additionally, TRAI proposed that the Telecom Engineering Center (TEC) explore the feasibility of establishing a standard process for transferring profiles between consumer eSIMs.
One significant recommendation entails the mandatory conversion of all eSIMs in imported devices operating on international roaming to communication profiles of Indian telecom service providers (TSPs) within six months from activation or change of device ownership. TRAI specified that only unified access service license holders and their derivatives can manage SM-SR sites responsible for delivering encrypted operator credentials to SIMs. Moreover, equipment manufacturers and M2M service providers will have the flexibility to choose whether to install the local profile through existing (foreign) SM-SR infrastructure or in India.
TRAI emphasized that the migration of communication profiles should be completed within three months from the receipt of a formal request from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). These recommendations seek to ensure a smooth transition for eSIMs in IoT devices and promote the adoption of local telecom service providers’ communication profiles, thereby fostering the growth of the M2M communication ecosystem in India.
