Tele2 operator suspended ESIM testing among subscribers at the request of the Ministry of Communications

The cell operator Tele2 has suspended the issuance to those who wish to those of QR codes for testing ESIM technology, which allows you to abandon physical SIM cards. As the statements write, this was done at the request of the Ministry of Communications.

The representative of the Ministry of Communications did not specify exactly what questions the department had to security of the project. According to him, the technology works, allows users to identify and "generally meets safety requirements." But to continue testing, you need to evaluate all the risks and conduct additional consultations. For this, the Ministry of Communications created a working group with the participation of all communication operators and representatives of law enforcement agencies.

Representatives of MTS Vimpelkom and Rostelecom announced the readiness of companies to participate in the working group. The representative of Megafon did not comment on the operator’s plans, but earlier he pointed out the potential risks of using ESIM, including theft of the subscriber profile. However, according to the antivirus expert of the Kaspersky Laboratory Dmitry Galov, to load another profile to the device to intercept control over it, with ESIM - all such operations are confirmed by the operational operator through a special secure protocol.

Recall, built into the smartphone, tablet or “smart” clock, the ESIM module replaces the usual SIM card: the device owner receives the number by scanning the QR code received from the operator or through the operator’s mobile application. ESIM technology now has Apple devices, some models of Samsung and Google gadgets. In the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, you can save up to five operator profiles. There are now about 30 communication operators in the world supporting ESIM.

In March, the Ministry of Communications reported that they were developing the necessary regulatory framework for introducing virtual mobile cards technology in Russia, but in early April it became known that the FSB is opposed to the introduction of ESIM in Russia (due to the difficulties using domestic cryptography), and the “large three operators” (MTS, Megaphone and Pimpelkom) are afraid of technology in connection with the technology due to with a probable decrease in revenue due to its launch. Later, the media reported that Rostelecom, Tele2 and other operators are testing or preparing for ESIM testing.

At the end of April, Tele2 announced the introduction of ESIM in experimental and commercial operation. For those who wanted to test the new subscribers technology, 5 thousand special QR codes were released, but their first batch ended in several Moscow Tele2 salons in a matter of hours. Whether their distribution was resumed after that and what would happen to the ESIM subscribers, the company was not specified, but its representative noted that during the experiment the operator gained the base necessary for testing and is waiting for the regulators reaction.