# eSIM & SIM provisioning — specifications

> Technical specifications: Consumer eSIM — remote SIM provisioning; IoT eSIM — remote management with eIM; OTA platform and SIM applets; Identifiers on a SIM…

Source: https://www.siltatel.net/esim/specs/ · Service page: https://www.siltatel.net/esim/

Order, personalise and deliver SIM profiles at any scale — physical cards or eSIM over the air, to GSMA specifications.

- Own OTA platform
- SM-DP+ and eIM
- Profile and applet development
- Bulk SIM ordering and logistics


### Consumer eSIM — remote SIM provisioning

*GSMA SGP.21 · SGP.22*

In the consumer model the user starts every action. The Local Profile Assistant (LPA) on the phone fetches the operator's profile from the SM-DP+ — by activation code, QR code or SM-DS discovery — and installs it on the eUICC. The profile is encrypted end-to-end between SM-DP+ and eUICC: the device only relays it.

Figure: FIG. 1 — RSP roles and interfaces (SGP.22). SGP.22 consumer eSIM architecture: SM-DS, SM-DP+, operator, and LPA and eUICC in the device, with interfaces ES2+, ES8+, ES9+, ES10, ES11, ES12

1. ES2+ — operator ↔ SM-DP+: download order, confirm order, release and cancel.
2. ES9+ — SM-DP+ ↔ LPA over HTTPS: authentication, bound profile package, notifications.
3. ES8+ — SM-DP+ ↔ eUICC, end-to-end through the LPA: mutual authentication and the protected profile package.
4. ES10a/b/c — LPA ↔ eUICC inside the device: discovery, download and local management (enable, disable, delete).
5. ES11 / ES12 — LPA ↔ SM-DS and SM-DP+ ↔ SM-DS: event registration, so a device finds a waiting profile without an activation code.

Standards and references:
- GSMA SGP.21 — RSP Architecture
- GSMA SGP.22 — RSP Technical Specification
- GSMA SGP.23 — RSP Test Specification
- GSMA SGP.29 — EID Definition and Assignment
- GSMA SAS-SM — Security Accreditation Scheme for Subscription Management
- TCA eUICC Profile Package — Interoperable Format Technical Specification

### IoT eSIM — remote management with eIM

*GSMA SGP.31 · SGP.32*

Meters, trackers and modules have no screen and no user to run an LPA. In the IoT architecture an eSIM IoT Remote Manager (eIM) takes that role remotely: it orders downloads and enables, disables or deletes profiles across a whole fleet, and the IoT Profile Assistant (IPA) executes the commands on each device.

Figure: FIG. 2 — IoT RSP roles and interfaces (SGP.32). SGP.32 IoT eSIM architecture: operator, SM-DP+ and eIM, and IPA and eUICC in the IoT device, with interfaces ES2+, ES9+', ESipa, ES8+, ES10b

1. ESipa — eIM ↔ IPA: eIM packages and download requests, built for constrained devices and networks (HTTPS, or CoAP over DTLS).
2. ES9+' — eIM ↔ SM-DP+: profile download on behalf of the device.
3. ES10b — IPA ↔ eUICC: the commands executed on the chip.
4. ES2+ is the same as in the consumer model, so operator integrations are reused.
5. IPAd runs in the device; IPAe runs inside the eUICC — for modules with minimal firmware.
6. SGP.32 is the newer alternative to the M2M model of SGP.02 (SM-DP + SM-SR, operator-driven over SMS).

**Q: How do I connect an eIM?**

1. Choose the eIM — your own or a hosted one — and register it with each SM-DP+ it will use (ES9+'). 2. Use devices with an SGP.32 eUICC and an IPA, and provision the eIM configuration on the eUICC at manufacture or later. 3. Agree ES2+ download orders with every operator whose profiles you need. 4. Connect the eIM API to your device platform so profile changes follow your fleet rules.

**Q: Do IoT devices need SMS for eSIM?**

No. SGP.32 works over IP — HTTPS or CoAP/DTLS — so it suits NB-IoT and LTE-M devices without SMS.

Standards and references:
- GSMA SGP.31 — eSIM IoT Architecture and Requirements
- GSMA SGP.32 — eSIM IoT Technical Specification
- GSMA SGP.02 — Remote Provisioning Architecture for Embedded UICC (M2M)

### OTA platform and SIM applets

*GlobalPlatform · ETSI · 3GPP*

The OTA platform manages SIM cards already in the field: it updates files and parameters, installs and personalises applets and changes roaming and steering settings — over SMS or HTTPS, with every command protected by the card's keys.

Figure: FIG. 3 — OTA channels to the UICC. OTA channels from the OTA platform to the UICC: SMS-PP via SMSC with SCP80, and HTTPS over BIP with SCP81

1. SMS-PP: secured packets (ETSI TS 102 225 / 3GPP TS 31.115, SCP80) delivered through the SMSC, which the platform reaches over SMPP.
2. HTTPS: the card opens a BIP session and the platform answers as the admin server (GlobalPlatform Amendment B, SCP81, TLS-PSK) — for large updates.
3. Remote APDU format, file and application management: ETSI TS 102 226 / 3GPP TS 31.116.
4. Security domains and card content management follow the GlobalPlatform Card Specification; SCP03 (Amendment D) protects management sessions.
5. Applets run on Java Card with the UICC and (U)SIM APIs (ETSI TS 102 241, 3GPP TS 31.130) and the Card Application Toolkit (ETSI TS 102 223, 3GPP TS 31.111).

**Q: Can SIM settings change without replacing cards?**

Yes. Steering PLMN lists, the SMSC address, applet parameters and new applets can be pushed over the air to cards in use, as long as the OTA keys of those cards are available.

Standards and references:
- GlobalPlatform Card Specification v2.3 — Card content management, security domains
- GlobalPlatform Amendment B — Remote Application Management over HTTP (SCP81)
- GlobalPlatform Amendment D — Secure Channel Protocol 03
- ETSI TS 102 225 / 102 226 — Secured packets; remote APDU structure
- 3GPP TS 31.115 / 31.116 — Secured packet structure; remote APDU (3GPP) (https://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/31115.htm)
- ETSI TS 102 221 — UICC-terminal interface
- ETSI TS 102 241 · TS 102 223 — UICC API for Java Card; Card Application Toolkit
- 3GPP TS 31.130 · TS 31.111 — (U)SIM API for Java Card; USAT (https://www.3gpp.org/DynaReport/31130.htm)

### Identifiers on a SIM

*ITU-T E.118 · E.212 · E.164*

Three numbers tie a subscription together: the ICCID names the card or profile, the IMSI identifies the subscriber inside mobile networks, and the MSISDN is the phone number people dial. The eUICC chip itself has a fourth — the EID.

Figure: FIG. 4 — Identifier structure. The ICCID uses the 89 358 99 prefix printed on this site's cards.. Structure of ICCID (E.118), IMSI (E.212) and MSISDN (E.164) with Finnish codes

1. ICCID (ITU-T E.118): 89 for telecommunications, the country code (358 = Finland) and the issuer identifier form the IIN; the last digit is a Luhn check digit.
2. IMSI (ITU-T E.212): MCC (244 = Finland) + MNC (2–3 digits) + MSIN, at most 15 digits.
3. MSISDN (ITU-T E.164): country code (358) + national destination code + subscriber number, at most 15 digits.
4. EID (GSMA SGP.29): the 32-digit identity of an eUICC, used by SM-DP+ and eIM to target the chip.

Standards and references:
- ITU-T E.118 — International telecommunication charge card (ICCID) (https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-E.118)
- ITU-T E.212 — International identification plan for public networks and subscriptions (https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-E.212)
- ITU-T E.164 — International public telecommunication numbering plan (https://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-E.164)
- GSMA SGP.29 — EID Definition and Assignment Process

### eSIM in questions and answers

*Questions · glossary*

Short answers to the questions operators and device makers ask most often.

**Q: What is an SM-DP+?**

Subscription Manager Data Preparation+: the server that prepares, encrypts and delivers operator profiles to eUICCs. It runs in a GSMA SAS-SM accredited site and connects to each operator over ES2+.

**Q: SGP.22 or SGP.32 — what is the difference?**

SGP.22 is the consumer model: the LPA on a phone or tablet, driven by the user. SGP.32 is the IoT model: an eIM manages profiles remotely across fleets of devices without a user interface.

**Q: What is an eIM?**

The eSIM IoT Remote Manager of SGP.31/SGP.32: a server that tells IoT eUICCs which profile to download, enable or delete — in bulk and without user interaction.

**Q: Can a device move to another operator remotely?**

Yes. The new operator's profile is downloaded from its SM-DP+ and enabled; the old one is disabled or deleted — through the LPA on consumer devices, through the eIM on IoT devices.

**Q: eSIM or iSIM?**

An eSIM (eUICC) is a separate chip that holds downloadable profiles; an iSIM puts the same secure function inside the device's system-on-chip. Both use the GSMA provisioning model.

Glossary:
- **eUICC** — Embedded UICC: a SIM chip that can hold several downloadable profiles.
- **EID** — eUICC identifier, 32 digits (SGP.29).
- **ICCID** — Card or profile serial number (E.118).
- **IMSI** — Subscriber identity used by mobile networks (E.212).
- **LPA** — Local Profile Assistant: the consumer-device side of RSP.
- **IPA** — IoT Profile Assistant: the IoT-device side of RSP (in the device or the eUICC).
- **SM-DP+** — Server that prepares and delivers profiles.
- **SM-DS** — Discovery server that tells a device a profile is waiting.
- **eIM** — eSIM IoT Remote Manager (SGP.32).
- **OTA** — Over-the-air management of SIM files and applets.
- **SCP80 / SCP81** — OTA security over SMS / over HTTPS.
- **Applet** — Java Card application on the SIM.