iPhone 17 China Debut Faces eSim Uncertainty, Potential Delays

The debut of Apple's thinnest iPhone, widely speculated to be the iPhone 17 Air, may be delayed in China. This potential delay is due to the embedded-SIM (eSIM) infrastructure not being ready for a nationwide roll-out before the expected iPhone 17 launch this month.

Credit: APPLE

Shop assistants at two Apple authorised resellers in Foshan, Guangdong province, have not received training for eSIM support. In contrast, employees at European Union resellers were asked to complete a relevant course by last Friday.

Tech influencer Fixed Focus Digital, who has 2.3 million followers on Weibo, stated on Wednesday that an eSIM roll-out in mainland China this month is "unlikely." Mass production of the China-targeted thinner iPhone began months later than the other three models expected: the basic iPhone 17, the iPhone 17 Pro, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Fixed Focus Digital added that later availability would "not be problematic." Apple is scheduled to hold its anticipated launch of the iPhone 17 family on Sept. 9.

Weibo influencer ChillsYaya reported last week that China Unicom, one of the country's three major state-owned telecommunications network operators, had notified employees to offer eSIM support for Apple products. It was unclear if this support was specifically for smartphones, as China Unicom already provides eSIM for iPad and Apple Watch in mainland China.

China Unicom's July update of its "5G AI terminal white paper" included "China Unicom eUICC-based eSIM phone technical specifications V1.0" among its 15 normative application documents. eUICC, which stands for embedded universal integrated circuit card, refers to the hardware component enabling eSIM functionality.

In the same month, some netizens found a webpage allowing users to activate eSIM mobile service, preferably by visiting an offline store. Local media reports indicated the site was in beta and lacked store information.

China's three major telecoms operators — China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile — have restarted eSIM development with a focus on wearables. A July report by state-backed China Business Journal stated that "mobile eSIM services would not be covered for the time being."

The eSIM discussion extends beyond Apple, as other smartphone brands are developing ultra-thin devices with eSIM support. Xiaomi's website shows 16 different types of its smartphones support eSIM in certain overseas markets.

Credit: APPLE

Apple's September announcement will initiate a three-year overhaul of the iPhone. The company is expected to introduce its first foldable iPhone next year, following Samsung Electronics and Alphabet's Google.

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• The debut of Apple's thinner iPhone 17 in China may be delayed due to nationwide eSIM infrastructure not being ready.

• Apple authorised resellers in Foshan have not received eSIM training, unlike European counterparts.

• Influencers on Weibo suggest an eSIM roll-out in mainland China this month is "unlikely," with the China-targeted thinner iPhone seeing later mass production.

Source: SCMP