Motorola Phones Now Have Built-in eSIMs for Cell Phones Outside the US

There have been burst in popularity in recent years for mobile eSIMs. This is due to the fact that eSIMs have become easier to install on a phone, and how much cheaper their data plans can be compared to what you’ll pay in other countries.

But Motorola is now making it a hassle-free way to build a legacy eSIM mobility in his phones.

This capability is available initially as an application customers will have to download from the Google Play Store, called Global Connect, but the application will already be installed on new Motorola devices in the future. It’s available on every Motorola phone with eSIM capability — including low-cost phones like the $180 2026 Fire G Play-although it is available for use in only a few Latin American markets: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Motorola says support for users in Germany, the UK, and Europe is coming in the next few weeks. The company had nothing to share about US availability at this time.

Travel eSIMs give travelers an easy way to instantly get a data-only eSIM that works at their destination, even before boarding the plane. It means that you don’t have to stop at the SIM card kiosk at the airport and argue with Physical SIM cards to connect to the Internet at your destination. You can add your data plan through the app and pay as you go. These eSIMs usually do not include the ability to make calls and send text messages, and that is the case here with Motorola’s solution. (Fortunately, WhatsApp is widely accepted in tourist areas.)

This service is managed by Gigsa San Francisco company that helps companies sell cell phone plans without having to deal with complicated telecom negotiations and contracts. It’s the same company behind the mobile plans from Klarnaand buy-now-pay-laterand soon, Cash App. Motorola says it worked with Gigs to make the feature sound “Motorola-branded” and not a third-party add-on.

While Motorola claims that this is the first time a smartphone manufacturer has introduced an eSIM service in its phones, Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has also offered a similar SIM service since 2015, although it discontinued the service.

Sudhir Chadaga, vice president of Partnerships at Motorola, says that customers need to install the Global Connect program, create a Gigs account, and will receive 1 GB for free with their first mobile eSIM (available for a limited time), after which they can add data as needed. Chadaga says the prices are competitive—$3 for 1 GB for 30 days, up to $14 for 20 GB—and the service is available in more than 160 countries. You can keep using the same eSIM for all your trips.

“What we’re trying to do for our customers is solve the problem of getting a fast-moving eSIM on the devices they’re going with,” Chadaga told WIRED. “With Global Connect, that’s what we’re bringing to our users.”

Mobile eSIMs are much cheaper than paying for data when you travel, which is what you’re doing when you rely on your main provider to connect you to international networks. Siddhant Cally, senior analyst in the Networks and Connectivity group at Counterpoint Research, says that in some areas, internet operators were offering half the data roaming but double the cost of eSIM roaming.

Affordable prices, combined with how easy it is to download and save a travel eSIM to your phone before you travel, have made very popular. And since you can still use data to make WhatsApp or FaceTime calls or send messages, not being able to send or receive texts or calls from your number is less of a concern. So the US carriers like T-Mobile, Verizonand The cost of AT&T have attempted to address the challenges of a third-party eSIM travel program for their travel business with their eSIM travel solutions for people entering the US during World Cup.