Roaming is a product of your mobile operator’s closed system. The service provider decides on its own which tariff you get abroad, how much data is included in the package and when you’ll be charged. The traveller simply agrees to conditions that were set in advance and has no right to choose. In a world where you can compare the prices of flights and hotels in a couple of clicks, this model looks outdated, since it doesn’t let you review the offers of different providers, tailor connectivity to a specific route, or see the final amount in advance.

Travel eSIM technology works differently and hands the choice back to the user. Competition between providers drives prices lower, while flexible configuration lets you choose a package to match the country, duration and format of a trip. And you can manage the connection just as easily as any other app on your smartphone. One example of this approach is the Swiss company Yesim, one of the pioneers of the travel eSIM market.

Three arguments in favour of travel eSIM

  • Affordable: Take a weeklong trip from Ireland to the US and Yesim’s unlimited package costs €20.30, is paid once and works for the entire trip.
  • Flexible: Travel eSIM lets you choose a local package for a single country, a regional option for a route with several stops, or a global tariff for a complex international trip. Even before payment you can see the coverage area, validity period, data volume and final price.
  • Functional: The app combines tariff selection, profile installation, balance checking and top-up. The decision to buy additional data is made by the user, not by the operator’s automated system. On top of that, a Travel eSIM can work with several foreign networks at once, so the quality of the connection isn’t limited to the home operator’s single partner.

A Swiss standard of travel connectivity for Irish travellers

The Swiss company Yesim has been operating since 2019 and provides connectivity to more than 4 million travellers across more than 200 destinations worldwide. Trust in Yesim as a global connectivity provider is also reflected in the fact that the company became an official partner of the World Players Super League – the world’s largest golf tour, which hosts more than 1,800 tournaments in more than 50 countries each year.

For different travel styles, Yesim offers several tariff ranges. The Global Package covers more than 80 countries, while the Global Plus Package covers more than 140. Both options suit people who travel a lot and prefer a fixed budget. The Pay & Fly tariff, based on a pay-as-you-go model, is a single eSIM for more than 170 countries where you pay only for the traffic actually used.

Getting connected is simple – the user installs the app, registers in it, selects a country or region and the corresponding tariff, and activates the profile in a couple of taps. SwitchLess Networks technology automatically switches to a more suitable network when a better connection is available at the location – this matters especially in remote areas with weak coverage and at mass events, where the network may struggle with tens of thousands of simultaneous connections.

The Multiple eSIMs feature lets you manage several profiles from a single account – convenient for a family or a small group travelling together.

You can test how it all works for a token amount. Yesim offers a test package of 500MB for just €0.50. There’s no need to buy a full tariff straight away to assess the quality of the connection. New users also have access to the promo code GETYESIM15 – a 15 per cent discount on their first order.

The roaming model is giving way to travel eSIM

Dependence on the rules of a single operator is gradually becoming a thing of the past. With the arrival of travel eSIM, travellers have gained the ability to choose the provider and tariff for a specific route themselves, compare prices and lock in costs before departure. New-generation services such as Yesim build these principles into the everyday practice of trips abroad, offering flexible tariffs and convenient tools for managing the connection.

“For Yesim, freedom of connectivity is a fundamental human right that helps people stay close, communicate and share meaningful moments despite the distance,” says Yesim founder and chief executive Dmitry Verbovsky. “We are proud to help millions of travellers around the world find a common language, and we’re glad to be part of their journeys.”