‘Let Me Tell Them Goodbye Before They Get Killed’: How eSIM Cards Are Connecting Palestinian Families – The Markup
‘Let Me Tell Them Goodbye Before They Get Killed’: How eSIM Cards Are Connecting Palestinian Families – The Markup
As blackouts in Gaza cut communications, a crowdsourced effort by an Egyptian writer reconnects family members, one eSIM card at a time
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If I understand esims correctly, they are like a copyright license to use the hardware you already have on your phone to connect to the internet. Shouldn't the data companies just allow unrestricted access to people in war zones anyway? This is like people donating coupons to buy food that is already there.
Ah yes, but where's the fuckery and unearned profit in that?
It's a different industry but the same point of view still applies in this cartoon.
I do accept this is an overly simplistic take though.
It's not quite that simple. Your phone has the hardware to connect to a mobile network, but a SIM, wherever eSIM or physical, has the password to get on to the particular provider's network. My phone had the hardware to connect to Verizon, T-Mobile or AT&T, but the SIM gives it the password to get on to T-Mobile.
Most notably you need to have an internet connection to download an eSIM - so even if the carrier gave them away for free you would need someone with a working phone to help setup the eSIMs.