Dina Tsybulskaya, CEO, eSIM Plus. has commented on the impact of eSIMs on the telecom sector.
Dina Tsybulskaya, CEO of eSIM Plus, is a telecom professional who claims to have 20+ years of experience in various C-level positions across Europe.
As CEO of eSIM Plus, she is now building a telco service provider that gives its users the freedom of global connectivity and the privacy of web3-based functionalities.
Prior to joining eSIM Plus, Dina was CEO and a member of the board at three different telecommunication providers – Turkcell, Telekom Austria AI and Deutsche Telekom Group, driving change and digital transformation.
Dina holds a master’s in international relations and several professional diplomas and certificates, including the ones from INSEAD and Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Our conversation with Dina is shared below.
Crowdfund Insider: How do you envision eSim technology transforming global connectivity and communication in the next decade?
Dina Tsybulskaya: Once confined to the specialized role of powering Internet of Things (IoT) devices, eSims have surged in popularity to become a central player in the mainstream telecommunications market.
This is only set to grow, as major smartphone players follow in Apple’s footsteps and shift their devices to become eSim compatible.
From the perspective of a service provider, eSims offer a secure and established technology foundation, which can drive greater telecom adoption by enabling faster partnerships within the ecosystem. We are already seeing instances of eSims empowering users, particularly in the travel and enterprise segments, thanks to flexible pricing and easier switching between operators.
Now, with more service-focused companies entering the market, you can expect increased synergy with traditional telcos who possess a well established infrastructure for eSim providers to ride on. This democratisation of the sector will only lower costs further and enable a more user-determined market, where customer experience is at the heart of all things new.
Crowdfund Insider: What are some emerging consumer trends that the eSim industry is shaping?
Dina Tsybulskaya: eSims are seeing greater acceptance not just in consumer telecom, but also IoT related sectors such as automotive, manufacturing, logistics etc. Drones and AR/VR are also expected to directly impact the proliferation of eSims. An interesting trend we are seeing in recent times is the increasing preference among digital asset holders to pay their telecom bills via alternate payment systems such as cryptocurrencies. This is especially useful for the business community, as well as digital nomads working and traveling across borders, who prefer anytime access to local mobile plans without having to always pay via local currencies.
Crowdfund Insider: What are some of the biggest challenges standing in the way of widespread adoption of eSIM technology, and how do you see companies solving them in 2024?
Dina Tsybulskaya: eSIMs, while enhancing security and privacy for users, pose potential challenges for law enforcement and regulators. The increasing use of mobile numbers for financial transactions means that proper regulatory frameworks are needed to address user onboarding, so as to not hinder eSIM adoption in key financial hubs.
Furthermore, facilitating access to virtual numbers across borders requires navigating complex country-specific regulations. Collaboration between eSIM service providers, regulators, and other stakeholders is thus crucial to establish a uniform and globally accepted operational framework.
Already countries are enforcing better regulations around this, working in tandem with operators to ensure stricter onboarding norms which is key to a successful first step of transitioning customers towards eSims. Another major development this year is bound to be in how companies integrate AI into several aspects of customer onboarding, user experience and customer support. As eSims come with the promise of anytime, anywhere access, it is crucial to address these backend issues in a way that solves the problem while resonating with the expectations of modern consumers.
Crowdfund Insider: In what ways does eSIM technology offer better user experience for retail and enterprise users?
Dina Tsybulskaya: By being embedded directly in devices and accessible via simplified mobile apps, eSim technology promises a new era in mobile connectivity. Unlike traditional SIM cards, eSIM offers on-demand network switching, eliminating physical card swaps and associated delays. This flexibility benefits individuals and businesses alike, potentially simplifying travel and offering competitive pricing options. As smaller players focused on improving user experience enter the market, robust security measures across both user interfaces and backend infrastructure are crucial to ensuring trust and data privacy.
Fortunately, major industry players and collaborative partnerships are actively addressing these concerns. While user security remains paramount, eSIM technology paves the way for a future of seamless, accessible, and potentially transformative mobile connectivity.
Crowdfund Insider: eSims are recently gaining attention for their role in ensuring telecom access in conflict zones.
What do you think of this, and what are other critical consumer segments that eSims can address?
Dina Tsybulskaya: Access to telecom services, especially data, has become a human necessity in today’s age. eSims thus play a vital role in connecting people, during natural calamities, as well as conflicts, when access to physical SIM cards may be a challenge for the populace. In recent times, we are seeing how eSims have come to solve this issue, by enabling families to stay connected.
Robust onboarding measures have ensured that the technology is not misused, and we can see many of the ecosystem’s stakeholders solve for issues of last-mile connectivity and user identification, to ensure eSims remain true to its purpose. Other critical areas in both developed and emerging economies include those requiring access to data or a mobile number, such as financial services, defense, remote education and telemedicine.
Crowdfund Insider: Could you elaborate on the decentralised shared services platform that eSIM Plus is working towards?
Dina Tsybulskaya: The traditional model of wholesale connectivity through established Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) is facing a potential shift. Users are increasingly becoming active participants, investing in personal hotspots and satellite receivers, laying the groundwork for independent LoRaWAN and satellite networks. Even established satellite-based players are collaborating with existing MNOs, blurring the lines between centralized and user-owned infrastructure.
It is here that eSIM Plus’ model of building a decentralized network offers exciting possibilities. Our blockchain-based marketplace platform will bring big, small and individual players on par, while we deploy blockchain to solve complex issues like data management, billing reconciliation, operator switching etc., that often crop up in multi-party environments. Such a platform will ultimately bring together scattered MNOs and open up unprecedented opportunities for smaller players, granting them access to a global market previously dominated by large telecom giants.
Crowdfund Insider: How are consumers, both from a B2C and B2B perspective, embracing eSim technology?
What advancements are you seeing in the sector? Highlight some that eSIM Plus is working on.
Dina Tsybulskaya: With eSim adoption set to touch 371% over the next three years, it is quite evident that there is huge consumer appetite for eSims. This growth is being fueled not just by B2C demand, but also the increasing use of IoT devices in several B2B applications which have a direct application in our daily lives. Apple’s recent move to shift its new models to eSims in the US is another strategic move that is expected to push other smartphone manufacturers to shift to eSims.
Such rapid adoption will naturally lead to diverse innovations in areas of telecom infrastructure, and important partnerships between traditional telcos, new-age eSim players and technology providers envisioning last-mile connectivity.
Another advancement we are seeing is the integration with diverse payment options, including cryptocurrencies, to pay telecom bills. eSIM Plus is working on these aspects as well as a proprietary blockchain-based platform to leverage these emerging innovations.