Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) is exploring the launch of an eSim-capable mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) offering that would provide connectivity services to inbound international travellers.

According to Acsa, a state-owned company that operates many of South Africa’s major commercial airports, a firm decision to launch an MVNO has not yet been taken. But it is giving it serious consideration, it has revealed.

“Acsa considered the introduction of an eSim offering via the Acsa mobile app, primarily targeting international travellers,” the company told TechCentral. “The initiative is currently undergoing internal review and, should it be deemed viable and aligned with Acsa’s strategic objectives, the market will be duly informed.”

eSim technology has proved to be a gamechanger for international travellers, allowing them to purchase local connectivity plans without having to find a store to buy a physical Sim card. This is especially helpful for short-stay visitors travelling for business on tight schedules.

eSim — or embedded Sim — is convenient in that travellers can purchase and activate the Sim while still in their home country, allowing them to purchase an appropriate amount of airtime and data for their trip prior to travelling and then enjoy the benefits of being connected the moment they touch down in their destination country. Avoiding the high cost of international roaming fees from their home networks is a priority for most travellers.

Acsa’s intention to roll out an MVNO would likely make it unique as an airports management company offering telecommunications services. However, the aviation sector is no stranger to MVNOs – just not in South Africa yet.

eSims popular with travellers

Air France-KLM in 2016 partnered with Transatel, a mobile virtual network enabler, or MVNE, to offer a Sim-enabled 4G Wi-Fi hotspot called BriteBird across 50 countries at local rates. In 2024, Air France partnered with Kolet, a French company specialising in eSim technology, to launch a solution for travel to 190 countries at “preferential rates”.

Similar to MVNO offerings in other sectors such as banking and retail, Air France linked activity in its core business to MVNO rewards.

Read: eSims: a threat to mobile operators?

In most other instances, partnerships between airlines and telecoms firms focus on providing in-flight connectivity as solutions, an area that is increasingly become a specialty of low-Earth orbit satellite broadband providers like Starlink.

The bulk of MVNOs targeting international travellers are not linked to any brands such as airlines. These pureplay MVNOs include AirGSM’s Airlo, AffinityClick’s aloSIM, LotusFlare’s Nomad and start-up Halofly.

eSim sits at the core of all these offerings. South African mobile operators, the infrastructure providers that MVNOs leverage to offer their services, have been slow to add eSim support to their networks. Today, however, Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and Telkom Mobile all offer it.