GlossaryRemote SIM provisioning
What is an eIM?
eIM eSIM IoT Remote Manager
An eIM (eSIM IoT Remote Manager) manages eSIM profiles on devices that have no screen and no user to tap through a download. It was introduced by GSMA SGP.32 so that device fleets can be provisioned and switched remotely.
The fleet owner
The eIM decides what happens to profiles
The device
No screen, no QR code, no person. The IPA carries out what the eIM asked for.
The profile itself still comes from an SM-DP+, the same component consumer eSIM uses.
The problem it solves
Consumer eSIM assumes a person: a QR code, a settings screen, a tap to confirm. A water meter has none of those.
The older machine-to-machine model worked, but it put profile control with the operator holding the SM-SR, which made changing carrier hard. SGP.32 moves that control to the device owner.
How SGP.32 works
Two new pieces, and one borrowed from consumer eSIM. The eIM sends profile state management operations, download, enable, disable and delete, to the IPA. The profile itself still comes from an SM-DP+.
eIM
The remote manager the fleet owner operates or buys as a service. It decides what happens.
IPA
The IoT Profile Assistant on the device, in the device software or inside the eUICC itself.
SM-DP+
The same consumer component, supplying the profile the eIM asked for.
What it changes for device makers
A device can be built, shipped and stored without a carrier decision. The carrier is chosen later, and changed later again, without touching the hardware.
It also suits devices that are offline for long stretches, because the eIM does not need a live session with every device at the moment a change is made.
Where it applies
Anywhere a fleet is large enough or remote enough that visiting a device costs more than its connectivity does.
Metering
Water, gas and electricity meters installed for a decade, in places with no engineer nearby.
Logistics and tracking
Assets that cross borders and need a working network on the other side.
Industrial sensors
Plant and field equipment where a site visit is scheduled work, not a quick fix.
Connected vehicles
Built in one market, sold in another, on the road for years after both.
eIM questions, answered
- What is an eIM?
- An eIM (eSIM IoT Remote Manager) is the GSMA SGP.32 component that manages eSIM profiles on IoT devices with no screen and no user, telling them to download, enable, disable or delete a profile.
- What does eIM stand for?
- eSIM IoT Remote Manager. It is defined in GSMA SGP.32, the remote SIM provisioning architecture for IoT devices.
- What is the difference between an eIM and an SM-DP+?
- The SM-DP+ builds and delivers the profile. The eIM decides what should happen to profiles on a device and instructs it. They work together, and SGP.32 reuses the consumer SM-DP+.
- Is SGP.32 replacing SGP.02?
- For new IoT deployments it is the direction of travel, because it gives the device owner control of profile changes rather than the operator holding the SM-SR. Existing SGP.02 deployments remain in service.
- Do you need an eIM for consumer eSIM?
- No. Consumer devices use SGP.22, where the LPA on the device does that job with the user present. The eIM exists for devices that have no user.
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