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How eSIMs make it easy to stay connected while travelling

It’s the time of year when we’re all travelling. People return home to visit family or move to sunnier (or snowier) climates. That means we often rely on phones to keep in touch. 

How eSIMs make it easy to stay connected while travelling
Wherever you are, with an eSIM you can be sure that you have choice and control when it comes to your data usage. Photo: Getty Images

In Europe, we generally enjoy excellent mobile data coverage. However, coming from outside the EU, you can quickly encounter sizeable roaming charges. Using your smartphone to contact friends or plan your next move can become expensive unless you closely monitor your usage. 

Fortunately, we have the arrival of the eSIM. Replacing the old plastic SIM cards you used to swap in and out of your phone, this new technology allows you to change your data plan in less than a minute.  

A new way to connect

Inside many new generation smartphones, a chip permanently sits that fulfills the same function as the classic SIM card. The critical difference is that it can be rewritten via an internet connection by scanning a QR code or accessing a particular link. 

This has several key advantages. Unlike physical SIM cards that must be physically purchased in a store or mailed to you, eSIMs can be purchased and delivered instantly online. 

Most phones offer an eSIM alongside a pre-existing physical SIM card slot, meaning that you can switch plans with a single tap. This is very important if you’re travelling across a wide area, with potential changes in roaming charges.

The lack of physical packaging and shipping costs also means that telecom providers can offer eSIMs at a significant discount to other plans or provide a much wider range of coverage for the same price. 

eSIMs offer a new way of staying connected when travelling across Europe and beyond. Find out how Zadarma simplifies getting and staying online

Don’t let yourself be surprised by exorbitant data roaming charges. Investigate eSIM technology. Photo: Getty Images

A wider world of coverage

eSIM provider Zadarma provides an example of how this new technology can pass on savings while offering a much more comprehensive data coverage range. 

They provide eSIMs for use within a single country and packages for 30, 60 or 90 countries worldwide. Each plan can last up to a year, and renewing it online takes just a few moments. 

A base 1 GB package for Europe, lasting 30 days and covering 30 nations, starts at €5 and can be extended to cover up to 62 countries under the Europe+ package. You can find the full range of tariffs here

eSIM technology also allows Zadarma to offer plans for countries like Switzerland and Andorra – both popular skiing destinations – that used to charge exorbitant rates for roaming data for those outside the EU. 

It’s important to know that these eSIMs only cover data coverage. They don’t constitute a second phone number. However eSIM providers such as Zadarma often also offer virtual phone numbers that give you the same range of functionality as a regular SIM card. You can even choose in which country the phone number is based. This can make registering for specific apps and services much more accessible than without a local number. You can even add PBX services and other business tools at a low cost. 

Staying in touch while travelling becomes easy with eSIM and a virtual phone number. Find out how Zadarma makes this possible

A solution that makes sense

If you’re a frequent traveller or a digital nomad who needs a stable, constant internet connection, using eSIM technology is the perfect solution. 

Knowing exactly what you’re paying and how easy it is to renew or expand your plan grants freedom to focus on what matters during the Christmas period. 

Getting started is as simple as ensuring your phone has eSIM technology and then identifying a provider that meets your online needs. Zadarma has simple and direct guides to get you online quickly with minimum fuss. 

A new generation of technology gives us a much wider variety of tools to keep us connected to the world – and with a greater ease of use. Before you embark on your next big trip, investigate how eSIMS can change how you stay connected. 

From eSIMs to VoIP and PBX services, Zadarma makes getting and staying connected to the world faster than it’s ever been 

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LIVING IN FRANCE

France to roll out ID cards app

Technology is being rolled out to allow people to carry their French ID cards in an app form - and could be rolled out to other cards, including driving licences and cartes de séjour residency cards.

France to roll out ID cards app

Holders of French carte d’identité (ID cards) will soon be able to carry certified digital versions of them on their smartphone or other electronic devices, a decree published in the Journal Officiel has confirmed.

An official app is being developed for holders of the newer credit card-format ID cards that have information stored on a chip. A provisional test version of the app is expected at the end of May.

Users will be able to use the ID card app, when it becomes available, for a range of services “from checking in at the airport to renting a car”, according to Thierry Breton, EU Commissioner for the Internal Market.

All French citizens have an ID card, which can be used for proving identity in a range of circumstances and for travel within the EU and Schengen zone – the new app will be in addition to the plastic card that holders already have.

Under the plans, after downloading the app, card holders will need merely to hold the card close to their phone to transfer the required information. According to officials, the holder then can decide what information is passed on – such as proof of age, or home address – according to the situation.

The government has not given any examples of situations in which the app would need to be used, but has set out the main principles and the ambition of the plan: to allow everyone to identify themselves and connect to certain public and private organisations, in particular those linked to the France Connect portal.

READ ALSO What is France Connect and how could it make your life simpler?

Cards will continue to be issued for the foreseeable future – this is merely an extension of the existing system.

Only French citizens have ID cards, but if successful the app is expected to be rolled out to include other cards, such as driving licences, cartes de séjour residency cards or even visas. A digital wallet is being developed at the European level – Member States have until September to agree what it could contain.

READ ALSO Eight smartphone apps that make life in France a bit easier

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