Vodacom eSIM now available!

Bilou said:
Just to bring some clarity on the eSIM at Vodacom whether for a wearable or for a phone:

1) eSIM on Wearables: until recently, eSIM was only available for Apple Watch or other wearable and NOT the phone. For this to work, Vodacom would activate the OneNumber feature on your subscription, which allows to link another SIM or eSIM to your existing number. Then the download of an eSIM would be possible in the AppleWatch for example by using the AppleWatch app in the phone, or a QR code for other non-Apple devices:
Vodacom DES (Device Entitlement Platform) would check that you're eligible for the OneNumber Service, and authorise the download of an eSIM from a SIM platform into the watch via the phone. It's been working well since a while.

2) eSIM in phones: Vodacom has now extended the eSIM to the phones, so you can download an eSIM using a QR code and it works exactly like a physical SIM card. I've tested it and it works with no glitch. It's just Vodacom sales people who are not 100% clued up with what an eSIM is all about and some resulting issues.

3) Vodacom issue : eSIM in a phone and eSIM in an AppleWatch: technically yes it it supposed to work without any problem as these 2 independent eSIM are just linked to the same phone number under the OneNumber feature.
BUT : Vodacom One Number feature has a limitation (it's a flaw or a bug or whatever you call it). it only allows one eSIM per phone number under the One Number feature and physical SIM cards.
So if you had an eSIM in your AppleWatch and now you order an eSIM for your phone, the eSIM in your AppleWatch will be automatically deactivated .. there's no way you can redownload an eSIM for your AppleWatch if you have done an eSIM swap for your phone.
So at the moment, until Vodacom solves this issue, you have to choose whether you want your eSIM in the phone or in the wearable. if you want to continue to use your eSIM in an Apple Watch DO NOT REQUEST A SWAP TO ESIM FOR YOUR PHONE and keep your physical SIM.

4) number of eSIM active at the same time in an iPhone: in the iPhone 13 and 14 range, you can have 2 eSIM active at the same time, among the 20 eSIM that you can download and store in your phone: it's called the MEP: Multiple Enable Profile feature provided by the eSIM chip maker. in the other phone model, it's one eSIM and one physical SIM.

All in all, Vodacom and all the others in SA are dragging behind compared to the rest of the world.
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The eSIM on Apple Watch and iPhone issue was frustrating for me because I found out months after that Vodacom doesn’t support both at the same time. The issue like you said, was solved by getting a plastic sim back into my iPhone, and I could then use the eSIM in my Apple Watch again.
 
Got myself a Vodacom eSim prepaid yesterday. Had a brief moment of issue to activate it on my phone (iPhone 11 - scanning the QR code did nothing), but turns out I needed to be on Wifi to do it (so it worked just fine at home).

I haven't used Vodacom in years. Any suggestion for a way to load some data on it and keep it valid for longer than a month? This is supposed to be mostly a emergency type sim (when MTN is useless).
 
Hi, pls help. I have an LTE device and a samsung A34 Phone. I get told that if the phone cannot use an esim then you cant use an esim in the watch. Both have to have esim enabled. Is this correct?. I want a physical card in the phone and an esim in the watch for the same cell nos. Can i?.
 
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dlevine said:
Hi, pls help. I have an LTE device and a samsung A34 Phone. I get told that if the phone cannot use an esim then you cant use an esim in the watch. Both have to have esim enabled. Is this correct?. I want a physical card in the phone and an esim in the watch for the same cell nos. Can i?.
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Whoever told you that is smoking their socks. Just ask them to activate the One Number service. You’ll then receive an email with the QR Code and activation details for the wearable.
 
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Hush9300 said:
Whoever told you that is smoking their socks. Just ask them to activate the One Number service. You’ll then receive an email with the QR Code and activation details for the wearable.
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Thought so, many thanks. My wife is on MTN what is their version of one number called, any idea?.
 
azbob said:
What are their data specials like?
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Example: 500MB for 1 day for R10.

But it also depends on the prepaid package that the sim is subscribed to at that particular time.

More info here:

Vodacom prepaid price plans compared - September 2023

Vodacom prepaid price plan comparison Vodacom has many prepaid price plans to choose from that offer varying voice, data, and SMS rates. MyBroadband compared them to determine which is best for data and voice-centric users. The mobile operator lists nine prepaid price plans on its website.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
 
DapperDanMan said:
Example: 500MB for 1 day for R10.

But it also depends on the prepaid package that the sim is subscribed to at that particular time.

More info here:

Vodacom prepaid price plans compared - September 2023

Vodacom prepaid price plan comparison Vodacom has many prepaid price plans to choose from that offer varying voice, data, and SMS rates. MyBroadband compared them to determine which is best for data and voice-centric users. The mobile operator lists nine prepaid price plans on its website.
mybroadband.co.za mybroadband.co.za
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Thanks. What’s the cheapest you can get 1GB for? Valid for at least 1 week. Considering switching to VC for data since cell c removed their 2GB for R19 for 7 days special.
 
azbob said:
Thanks. What’s the cheapest you can get 1GB for? Valid for at least 1 week. Considering switching to VC for data since cell c removed their 2GB for R19 for 7 days special.
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Vodacom is not the cheapest.

But their NXT Level price plan offers 5GB for seven days for R49, and it includes some fringe benefits.
 
Ockie said:
Just remember that if no activity for I think 5 or 6 months your number gets deactivated and recycled. Make a quick call or sms or something to keep it active.
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Yeah, I've lost a number even though I had a monthly automatic R20 reload set up with my bank. Ended up paying somebody else airtime for a couple of months until I discovered that reloading credit isn't enough to keep the number going

(incidentally, that's enough for CellC + Telkom Mobile).
 
Can anyone advise if what I want to do is possible:
I currently have a normal contract top-up sim in an iPhone 12 mini.
I want to get an eSim which I load onto my Iphone 12 mini and then still the normal Sim card to use in another Samsung A33 that I have. If they can't work at the same time that is also OK to switch off cellular service in the one I do not want to use at that time.
Will this be possible and what must I get?
 
Vodacom OneNumber might work for you. It is meant for wearables though, so for example a phone with the normal sim in it and the wearable with the esim...both with the same number.
 
Ockie said:
Vodacom OneNumber might work for you. It is meant for wearables though, so for example a phone with the normal sim in it and the wearable with the esim...both with the same number.
Click to expand...

This works as long as the device with physical SIM is on all the time. Should the physical SIM device be powered off then the eSIM device will not function reliably in terms of notifications.

As an aside, do you perhaps know when Vodacom will get a handle on this eSIM thing. I mean it's pretty lousy that One Number is a mess when it comes to eSIM to eSIM communication. I have a cellular Apple Watch that I cannot use to it's full potential because I opted for eSIM on the iPhone as it makes my travels easier.
 
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