Vodacom rolls out eco-friendly eSIM in S.Africa under Green Planet Strategy

02 / 08 / 2023

By Marwa Nassar - -

Vodacom rolled out eco-friendly eSIM of smart phones in South Africa in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions under its Green Planet Strategy.

Davide Tacchino, Managing Executive of Terminals at Vodacom South Africa, said “The eSIM solution is key to drive Vodacom’s Green Planet Strategy as it allows us to continue to connect additional customers to the network, without having to distribute traditional cards, which means no more worries about plastic and paper waste resulting from packaging. This will help boost our Green Plan achievements and further our vision of constantly making a positive difference in the future of our planet while reducing carbon emissions”.

“We also understand that to mitigate risk, we need to ensure connectivity with the lowest possible GHG emissions and provide goods manufactured, supplied, distributed and discarded with the lowest possible carbon footprint. By introducing eSIM support for smartphones, we hope to make a meaningful contribution and reduce the environmental impact.”

Vodacom customers [in South Africa] are now able to enjoy eSIM (embedded- Subscriber Identity Module) support for all smartphone plans, including prepaid, top-up/hybrid, and postpaid contracts.

This means that customers who have eSIM-enabled smartphones can now easily connect to the Vodacom network and take advantage of the benefits, capabilities, and flexibility that eSIM technology provides.

An eSIM is a small chip embedded in the phone instead of a removable plastic SIM card. Unlike a traditional SIM card, you cannot remove and use it in a different phone.

SIM cards contain unique identifying information that enables a mobile phone or device to connect securely to a mobile network.

However, the eSIM technology stores mobile information in a few lines of code on a dedicated chip inside a device rather than on a removable card. This eliminates the need for manufacturing and shipping plastic, which also reduces carbon emissions.

In October 2021, Vodafone International announced plans to launch eco-SIM cards made from recycled plastic as part of the company’s commitment to reduce its impact on the environment.

Starting from October 2021, Vodafone said it will provide customers with new Eco-SIMs in the half-sized format made from recycled plastic, progressively replacing SIM cards that are currently made from new plastic. Eco-SIM will be rolled out in all 12 of Vodafone’s European markets, in addition to Egypt, Turkey and South Africa.