Internet of Things
What does SGP.32 really mean for the IoT?
By Toby Gasston, mobile core product manager, Wireless Logic
I
t has been almost two years since the GSMA ratified SGP.32 for eSIMs. Take-up isn’t high yet, but that’s to be expected as the standard progresses through its early commercial rollout phase. Nonetheless, the outlook is good. ABI Research cites an expected uplift in the eSIM market to an estimated 195 million SGP.32 profile downloads in 2029 – 70 per cent of all IoT1
—
and early adopters of the standard report reductions in field-service interventions and fewer support tickets2
.
With this in mind, and as OEMs and IoT device designers make choices around compatible components and cellular modules and chipsets that support SGP.32, all stakeholders will need a clear idea of the benefits that will drive demand.
How is SGP.32 different? Technically, SGP.32 addresses the limitations of the earlier standards SGP.02 and SGP.22, specifically for the IoT. These limitations
14 March 2026
constrained eSIM adoption in IoT solutions outside of the automotive sector, which has previously accounted for 50 per cent of all non-consumer eSIM shipments.
SGP.32 converges the previously different consumer and machine-to-machine (M2M) approaches, for a single industry approach. It makes remote SIM provisioning (RSP), the standout headline benefit of eSIM for the IoT, more accessible across sector solutions. Through RSP, network profiles can be switched remotely over-the-air to, for example, address persistent performance issues or navigate changes in the regulatory landscape.
The new standard provides for an IoT Profile Assistant (IPA) in the SIM, or on the device, which contacts a remote connectivity manager to kick off the chain of command to download the relevant profile. One of the main benefits of the new standard is that it relies on existing MNO infrastructure from the consumer SGP.22
Components in Electronics
standard in terms of profile delivery. The SM-DP+ used to release profiles to consumer handsets in any MNO provisioning flow is reused in SGP.32. This results in a wide array of options in terms of profile availability and removes the expensive integrations that made SGP.02 so unwieldy.
The standard has created the conditions that can transform the IoT, but now the industry must make the benefits generally accessible. Enterprises still face hurdles, from auditing connectivity costs and risks, to adapting to evolving networks and ensuring multi-carrier flexibility.
How will SGP.32 drive change in the IoT?
The IoT is complex and can be fragmented with its landscape of networks, devices and cloud environments. Enterprises feel the pressure of connectivity choices that lock them into networks along with a global map of varying roaming stipulations.
Getting devices online, and keeping them there, has demanded a level of knowledge and operational attention that enterprises – for whom IoT is not their core business – have lacked the resources for. SGP.32 helps lighten the load. Recognising IoT solutions must be able to adapt over the long term, it facilitates global, scalable and flexible connectivity. For businesses, this is a welcome shift. They can focus less on network choices and more on when, and where, they scale their deployments internationally to serve customers and grow their business.
Stand-out features of SGP.32 SGP.32: ● enables remote network profile provisioning, including for devices with limited memory, intermittent connectivity and no user interface
● can reduce design time by locating the IPA on the eSIM or device
www.cieonline.co.uk
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