But Motorola is now making it even more hassle-free by building a native travel eSIM experience into its smartphones.
This capability is initially available as an app that customers must download from the Google Play Store, called Global Connect, but in the future the app will be preinstalled on new Motorola devices. It’s available for any Motorola phone with eSIM capabilities — including even cheaper smartphones like the $180 2026 Moto G Play — though it’s currently only available for use in certain Latin American markets: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Motorola says support for use in Germany, the UK, and Europe is coming in the next several weeks. The company doesn’t have anything to share about US availability yet.
Travel eSIM gives travelers an easy way to instantly access a data-only eSIM that works at their destination – even before take-off. This means you don’t have to stop at the SIM card kiosk at the airport and fiddle with a physical SIM card to connect to the internet at your destination. You can top-up your data allocation through an app and pay as you go. These eSIMs often do not include the ability to make calls and send texts, and this is also the case with Motorola’s solution. (Thankfully, WhatsApp is widely adopted at tourist destinations.)
The service is operated by Giggs, a San Francisco-based company that helps companies sell mobile data plans without having to deal with complex telecommunications negotiations and contracts. It’s the same company behind Klarna’s mobile plans, buy now and pay later service and, most recently, Cash App. Motorola says it worked closely with Giggs to make the experience feel like a “Motorola-branded experience” and not a third-party add-on.
While Motorola claims this is the first time a major smartphone maker has embedded a travel eSIM function natively into its phones, Chinese phone maker Xiaomi offered a similar virtual travel SIM function in 2015, though it has since discontinued the feature.
Sudhir Chadaga, vice president of partnerships at Motorola, says customers need to install the Global Connect app, create a Gigs account, and they’ll get 1GB free with their first travel eSIM (available for a limited time), after which they can top up data as needed. Chadaga claims the rates are competitive – $3 for 1GB for 30 days, up to $14 for 20GB – and the service is available in more than 160 countries. You can continue to use the same travel eSIM for all your trips.
“What we’re trying to do for our consumers is solve the friction point of quickly getting an e-SIM on a device when heading out to travel,” Chadaga told WIRED. “With Global Connect, that’s exactly what we’re bringing to our users.”
Travel eSIMs are much cheaper than paying for data while roaming, which is what you’re doing when you rely on your primary carrier to connect to networks in other countries. Siddhant Kelly, a senior analyst in the networks and connectivity team at Counterpoint Research, says that in some areas, legacy network operators were offering roaming for half the data, but at twice the price of a travel eSIM.
The affordable rates, combined with how easy it is to download and save a travel eSIM to your phone before your trip, have made them incredibly popular. And since you can still use data to make WhatsApp or FaceTime calls or send messages, the limitation of not being able to send or receive text messages or calls from your own number isn’t a big concern. That’s why US carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T have tried to counter the challenge of third-party travel eSIM apps in their roaming business with their own travel eSIM options for people entering the US during the World Cup.
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