eSIM and travel data glossary

The fourth generation of mobile networks. LTE stands for Long Term Evolution. It is fast enough for maps, video calls and streaming, and it is still the network most phones use most of the time, even where 5G is available.

See also: 5G, Coverage

The fifth generation of mobile networks, faster than 4G and with lower latency. You get it only when three things line up: a 5G phone, a plan that includes 5G on that network, and 5G coverage where you are. Otherwise the phone simply uses 4G.

See also: 4G LTE, Latency

The moment a plan's days start counting down. Many plans start when they first connect to a network at your destination, so you can install them days or weeks before you travel. Others start when you install the eSIM. Each plan says which.

See also: Validity period, QR code activation

The one-time code that, together with the SM-DP+ address, lets your phone download a particular eSIM. Both are inside the QR code, and you can type them in yourself if scanning does not work. The code normally works only once.

More: How to install an eSIM · See also: Manual activation, Profile deletion

A setting that switches off every radio in the phone: mobile networks, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can turn Wi-Fi and Bluetooth back on while it stays on. Switching airplane mode on and off again is also a quick way to make the phone look for a network afresh.

See also: Network selection

The setting that tells your phone which gateway to use to reach the internet over a mobile network. With an eSIM it is almost always filled in automatically. If data will not work, the instructions that came with the eSIM say whether an APN needs entering by hand.

See also: Data roaming

A phone that only works with one provider's SIMs and eSIMs. Phones bought on contract or financed through a provider are often locked. A locked phone will not accept a travel eSIM, so ask your provider to unlock it before you go.

More: Phones that cannot use an eSIM · See also: eSIM, Home network

The places where a network has a usable signal. It is usually good in towns and cities and patchier in mountains, rural areas and at sea. A plan's coverage depends on the local networks it can use, so a plan with more than one network in a country covers more ground.

More: Find a plan for your destination · See also: Network selection, Local network

A plan sized and priced by the day: a set amount of data for each day of the trip. What happens when a day's allowance is used up depends on the plan; often the speed drops until the next day starts. The plan details say which.

See also: Unlimited plan with speed limit, Fair use policy and throttling, Validity period

A plan with mobile data and nothing else: no phone number, no regular calls and no SMS texts. The eSIMs on Live Test 1113 are data only. Apps that call and message over the internet work as normal, and your usual SIM can stay on for calls and texts to your own number.

See also: Wi-Fi calling, Dual SIM

The line your phone uses for mobile data when it has more than one. Abroad, set your travel eSIM as the data line so your apps use its data and not your home SIM's, which could run up roaming charges.

More: How to install an eSIM · See also: Primary line, Dual SIM

The phone setting that allows a line to use mobile data on networks other than its own. A travel eSIM usually connects through roaming, so data roaming must be on for the eSIM line. On a prepaid travel plan that costs nothing extra. Keep it off for your home line if you want to avoid roaming charges.

More: How an eSIM works · See also: Roaming charges, Home network, Data line

A phone that can use two lines, such as a physical SIM and an eSIM, or two eSIMs. Many recent phones keep both active at once, which lets you take calls on your usual number while the travel eSIM provides data.

See also: Primary line, Data line

A 32-digit number that identifies the eSIM chip in your phone. If your phone shows an EID, it supports eSIM. You can see it by dialling *#06# or in the phone's About settings. It is separate from the IMEI, which identifies the phone itself.

More: Check your phone in 10 seconds · See also: eUICC, eSIM

A SIM built into the phone. Instead of inserting a plastic card, you download a mobile plan to it, usually by scanning a QR code. A phone can store several eSIMs and switch between them in settings.

More: What is an eSIM? · See also: eUICC, QR code activation, SIM card

The downloaded package that turns the eSIM chip into a working line: the network details and credentials for one plan. Each eSIM you install is a separate profile, listed in settings next to your other lines.

See also: Profile deletion, eUICC

The technical name for the eSIM chip. It is built to an industry standard that lets it hold several eSIM profiles and download new ones over the internet, which is what makes buying a plan online possible.

See also: EID, eSIM

A fair use policy sets limits on how much a plan can be used before the provider steps in. Throttling is the usual way it does so: the connection is slowed rather than cut off. It is common on unlimited plans and daily plans; the plan details say where the limit is and how slow it gets.

See also: Unlimited plan with speed limit, Daily plan

The units mobile data is measured in. A gigabyte (GB) is 1,024 megabytes (MB) as Live Test 1113 counts it; some providers count 1,000. An hour of map navigation uses around 10 MB and an hour of HD video around 3 GB.

More: How much data do I need? · See also: Validity period, Top-up

One plan that works in many countries across several continents. It suits a trip through many places, but costs more per GB than a regional plan or a plan for one country, so check it covers every stop before you buy.

More: Find a plan for your destination · See also: Regional plan, Coverage

The network your usual mobile provider runs, or uses, in your own country. Away from it, your phone is roaming, and your home provider may charge for that. A travel eSIM has its own arrangements with local networks at your destination.

See also: Local network, Roaming charges, Data roaming

Sharing your phone's mobile data with a laptop, tablet or another phone over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or a cable. A laptop uses far more data than a phone, because it syncs and updates in the background, so allow for it when choosing a plan.

More: Work out the data for a hotspot · See also: GB and MB, Fair use policy and throttling

The delay before data starts to arrive, measured in milliseconds (ms). Low latency matters for video calls and games more than for browsing. It rises when the signal is weak and when traffic is routed through another country, which some roaming connections do.

See also: 5G, Coverage

A mobile network that operates in the country you are visiting. A travel eSIM connects you to one or more of them; the plan details list which ones.

See also: Network operator, Network selection, Home network

Installing an eSIM by typing in the SM-DP+ address and activation code instead of scanning a QR code. Useful when you have only one device and cannot scan a code shown on its own screen.

More: How to install an eSIM · See also: QR code activation, SM-DP+ address

A mobile provider that sells service over another company's network instead of running its own masts. The signal and coverage are those of the network operator it uses.

See also: Network operator, Local network

A company that runs a mobile network: the masts, the licences and the radio spectrum. When you are abroad, your phone shows the name of the operator whose network it is using.

See also: MVNO, Local network, Network selection

How your phone picks a network. On automatic, which is the default, it chooses for you. On manual, you pick from a list, which helps when the phone has latched on to a network your plan cannot use or one with a weak signal.

See also: Local network, Coverage, Airplane mode

The line your phone uses by default for calls and texts when it has two. Travellers usually keep their home SIM as the primary line, so their own number stays reachable, and set the travel eSIM as the data line.

See also: Data line, Dual SIM

Removing an eSIM profile from your phone. Because an activation code normally works only once, a deleted eSIM usually cannot be reinstalled from the same QR code. There is no need to delete one to make room: phones keep several side by side, and you can simply switch a line off.

See also: Activation code, eSIM profile

The usual way to install an eSIM: you scan a QR code with your phone's camera or in its mobile settings, and the phone downloads the plan. The code contains the SM-DP+ address and an activation code. Installing needs an internet connection, so do it on Wi-Fi before you travel.

More: How to install an eSIM · See also: Manual activation, Activation (when a plan starts)

One plan that covers a group of neighbouring countries, such as most of Europe. It saves buying a separate eSIM for each country on a multi-country trip. Check that every country on your route is on the plan's list.

More: Find a plan for your destination · See also: Global plan, Coverage

What your home provider charges for using your phone abroad, either as a daily fee or per MB. They can add up quickly. A prepaid travel eSIM avoids them for data, as long as your home line's data roaming is off and the eSIM is your data line.

More: Is an eSIM cheaper than roaming? · See also: Data roaming, Home network

The small plastic card that holds a mobile plan, inserted into a tray in the phone. An eSIM does the same job without the card. Many phones take one SIM card and one or more eSIMs.

More: eSIM or physical SIM card · See also: eSIM, Dual SIM

The address of the server that stores your eSIM and hands it to your phone. It looks like a web address. You need it, with the activation code, only if you install the eSIM by hand.

More: How an eSIM works · See also: Manual activation, QR code activation

Adding more data, or more days, to an eSIM you already have, with nothing new to install. Each plan on Live Test 1113 says whether it can be topped up; where it can, you top up from your order page or your account.

More: How to top up an eSIM · See also: Validity period, Daily plan

A plan with no fixed data allowance, but usually with a fair use limit: full speed up to a set amount each day, then a slower speed until the next day. Slowed speeds are often fine for messages and maps but not for video. The plan details give the numbers.

See also: Fair use policy and throttling, Daily plan

How many days a plan lasts once it has started. When the period ends, the plan stops, even if some data is left, so pick one that covers the whole trip.

More: How much data do I need? · See also: Activation (when a plan starts), Top-up

Making and receiving calls on your usual number over a Wi-Fi connection instead of a mobile network. It depends on your home provider and phone supporting it, and how calls made abroad are charged varies, so check with your provider.

See also: Data-only plan, Primary line