New eSIM Standard Critical to 6.5 Billion IoT Connections by 2030

A new study from Juniper Research has found that the global number of cellular IoT connections will grow by 60% between 2025 and 2030. This will create a net addition of 2.4 billion connections.

According to Juniper Research, SGP.32, the GSMA’s new eSIM specification for IoT will define the opportunity for operators, IoT Mobile Virtual Network Operators (MVNOs), and others to capitalise on this growth. SGP.32 simplifies and streamlines remote management of eSIM (embedded subscriber identity module) profiles and connectivity for cellular IoT connections. The study predicts that operators, IoT MVNOs, and others who focus on connectivity orchestration will be best positioned to capitalise on the opportunity of SGP.32.

Officially launched earlier this year, Juniper Research expects the first cellular IoT deployments using the framework to occur towards the end of 2025. SGP.32 will enable bulk provisioning, simplifying remote SIM management for large deployments, while the reduction of costs and integration times for remote provisioning will introduce greater flexibility when selecting or changing connectivity providers or networks.

Juniper Research believes that the introduction of SGP.32 will allow enterprises to switch connectivity providers more frequently, eliminating vendor lock-in, and providing new opportunities to optimise cellular IoT connectivity costs and quality of service. “Operators and IoT MVNOs must now focus on connectivity orchestration to capitalise on this growth, as orchestration is critical to maximising the benefits of SGP.32. As most enterprises want to minimise investment into connectivity, this will provide a significant opportunity for managed connectivity services,” remarked research author Alex Webb.