Product Request: MikroTik should sell a "physical eSIM" for older devices (or suggest some 3rd-party eSIM)

[Larsa]

@ros44: Physical card for eSIMs from esim.me

Thanks for the feedback! Do you know which brand of eSIM esim.me provides, or are there several brands to choose from? I’m also curious in the questions @jaclaz brought up.

[ros44]

The UICCID numbers below are hidden intentionally for privacy.

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim print
Flags: A - ACTIVE
Columns: INTERFACE, NAME, SPN, UICCID
#   INTERFACE  NAME     SPN                    UICCID
0   lte1       eSIM.me  eSIM.me  8949xxxx9
1 A lte1       Holafly  Holafly   89431xxxxx9

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/activate number=0

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim print            
Flags: A - ACTIVE
Columns: INTERFACE, NAME, SPN, UICCID
#   INTERFACE  NAME     SPN                    UICCID
0 A lte1       eSIM.me  eSIM.me  8949xxxx9
1   lte1       Holafly  Holafly   89431xxxxx9

What you see above is that the physical card has two eSIMs. The first eSIM from eSIM.me was present on the card since the very begining. This is how I got the physical card. I don’t know its purpose yet and because of that I did not try to delete it. I am keeping it for now. Making eSIM number 0 active disables my Holafy Internet connection immediately, meaning that the switching between the eSIMs is instant and makes the LTE interface disconnect and then try to reconnect via the other eSIM that doesn’t not have subscription.

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim refresh-profile-list
interface: 
[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim refresh-profile-list interface=lte1
[admin@MikroTik] >

I am not sure if the result of the refresh is successful.

Finally, I believe this output might be interesting for you. I just deleted my Holafly eSIM from the physical card.

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/print          
Flags: A - ACTIVE
Columns: INTERFACE, NAME, SPN, UICCID, NICKNAME
#   INTERFACE  NAME     SPN                    UICCID  NICKNAME        
0   lte1       eSIM.me  eSIM.me  8949xxxx9                  
1 A lte1       Holafly  Holafly   89431xxxxx9

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/delete                             
number
[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/delete number=1  
Profile not in disabled state

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/deactivate number=1

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/delete number=1

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim refresh-profile-list
interface: lte1
eSIM command in progress

[admin@MikroTik] > /interface/lte/esim/print               
Columns: INTERFACE, NAME, SPN, UICCID
# INTERFACE  NAME     SPN                    UICCID
0 lte1       eSIM.me  eSIM.me  8949xxxx9

On tha packaging of the eSIM physical cards, it is written:
TelcoVillage GmbH, Hennigsdorfer Str. 126, 13503 Berlin, Germany
I assume this is the vendor (the brand) of the cards.

This physical eSIM card has 5 slots for profiles. There is an option to unlock more slots via the mobile app of eSIM with payment.

[ros44]

We’ve experience to use esim.me with Chateau 5G ax and it requires to use their app. 5ber.com needs to be checked and it also works trough their own services.

It would be good to have a direct ROS support on these ones or a Mikrotik produced card.

As I wrote in this current tread, I did not use the esim.me app and I was able to save an eSIM directly to the esim.me physical card via the ROS terminal.

[jaclaz]

On tha packaging of the eSIM physical cards, it is written:
TelcoVillage GmbH, Hennigsdorfer Str. 126, 13503 Berlin, Germany
I assume this is the vendor (the brand) of the cards.

I think it is the actual company behind the esim.me “brand”, esim.me is listed among their “products”:
https://www.telcovillage.com/
https://www.telcovillage.com/#esim
And on esim.me site:
https://esim.me/about_us
so we can say that esim.me and telcovillage are one and the same.

Interestingly, the “single” type has two sub-types, and it can store up to 2 profiles OR up to 5, the “multi” has 3 sub-types, up to 5, up to 7 and up to10, and the “omni” only one, up to 15 devices:
https://esim.me/eSIM-for-your-smartphone//#20132-manage_on_a_single_device-up_to_2_esim_profiles

[Larsa]

You should be able to identify the chip manufacturer using the EID (eUICC Identifier). I’m curious if the EID is somehow included in the eSIM profile itself and can be viewed by ROS, or if there are any other ways to retrieve that information perhaps using AT commands?

[Amm0]

In order to download the eSIM to the physical card I had to connect the router with cable internet

This is a good point — it does need internet first to reach the MNO’s server to activate. Docs do say that in roundabout way - that might be missed in testing:

connectivity to eSIM SIM profile provider SM-DP+ provisioning server during provisioning and deletion of SIM profiles on eSIM chip (for connectivity, can use another eSIM profile or another WAN interface)

Now perhaps the working internet requirement is at least one possible reason why there have been mixed results with eSIM.me/etc in other threads… If there is no internet, that also be another reason why a “physical eSIM” might not work.


Now there is still an open question on the role of the specific modem hardware has on whether eSIM might work, @ortazebra suggested above with 9esim that the FG621-EA did not work and R11e-LTE6 allowed only switching existing profiles:

@ortazebra

Could you explain a bit more clearly what actually works or does not work when provisioning using only ROS?

Any mikrotik product with R11e-LTE modem - NO esim functionality with 9esim
Any mikrotik product with R11e-LTE6 modem - can only switch profiles on 9esim
Any mikrotik product with FG621-EA modem - no data, but MIkrotik lists it as fully supported.
Any mikrotik product with t77w968-esim modem - Full esim functionality.
Any mikrotik product with t77w968 modem - Full esim functionality with 9esim.

FWIW @ros44’s eSIM.me(/esim.bg) success was with the Quectel EG18-EA modem that in the Chateau LTE18.

Still I’d like to think MikroTik tested at least one of these physical eSIM… so be good to know what one(s) their testing with. And I suspect they might know which existing modems will work…

RouterOS LPA supports:
AT modems which firmware supports SIM low access commands (AT+CCHO; AT+CCHC; AT+CGLA)
MBIM modems which supports SIM low level access service in its firmware (UUID_SERVICE_MS_UICC)

…so MT certainly they must know which of their current shipping modem supports either one of those.

[ros44]

Still I’d like to think MikroTik tested at least one of these physical eSIM… so be good to know what one(s) their testing with. And I suspect they might know which existing modems will work…

I have asked MT support for recommendation of physical SIM provider/vendor and they replied they cannot recommend anyone. I assumed not recommending a vendor is political decision and I didn’t ask anything else.

[ortazebra]

role of the specific modem hardware has on whether eSIM might work

There is a list of this modems from MikroTik

These modems do not have eSIM built in. Requires an external eSIM chip. For example, a physical eSIM card (eSIM in a standard SIM form factor).
https://help.mikrotik.com/docs/spaces/ROS/pages/30146563/LTE#LTE-ModemeSIMmanagementsupporttable

[jaclaz]

Ok , the Mikrotik list completed with device name and model and (cleverly?) coloured (how it should have been made).

The LTAP mini and the KNOT don’t have an evident way to check the modem model or it is not present in Mikroptik’s original table, if anyone know, please post the info and I will update my table.

EDIT: Attachments updated with the info from ortazebra and optio (thanks). The modem in the Knot remains “unclassified” at the moment.
esim_modems.xls (17.5 KB)

[ortazebra]

LTAP mini lte kit (2024) - EC200A-EU
LTAP mini lte kit - R11e-LTE

R11e-LTE6 is also used in HAP AC3 LTE6 KIT

[optio]

Chateau LTE12 (RBD53G-5HacD2HnD-TC&EG12-EA) has EG12-EA, also should be supported.
There is cAP LTE12 ax duplicate row, maybe is meant to be instead one of them.