The eSIM (embedded SIM) has been another of those mobile developments that has taken longer to gain mainstream acceptance from device makers, operators and consumers alike; certainly longer than advocates originally hoped or anticipated. Few have doubted the eSIM will eventually prevail, because traditional physical SIM cards seem increasingly neanderthal in our high-tech age, while imposing resistance on use cases that require transparent roaming, including in the IoT sector. At the same time though, eSIMs bring problems of their own relating to authentication and management of entitlements. One issue we hear about frequently is what happens when smartphones are damaged and need replacement. A physical SIM can be immediately swapped between the old phone and the new, but with eSIMs…