UK Survey Reveals Surge in eSIM Awareness, SIM-Only Plans Start to Dominate
- Nearly three-quarters of Britons have heard of eSIM.
- Pent-up demand for travel eSIM as holidaymakers seek convenience and affordability.
- SIM-only plans account for almost 45% of the market.
- Strong use of personal hot spots amid rise of unlimited data plans.
- Apple and Samsung tighten their grip on the phone market.
London, 27 January 2026: UK consumers have strong awareness of eSIM and are increasingly using the technology to connect to a domestic or international provider.
This was a headline finding of CCS Insight’s eighth annual survey into UK consumers’ buying behaviours for mobile phones and connectivity. Across the nationally representative sample of more than 1,000 respondents, nearly three-quarters said they had heard of eSIM, up from just 27% in the 2022 survey.
Among these people, almost a third said they have used the technology to sign up with a UK provider. iPhone customers were the top users, a reflection of Apple’s drive for adoption that included the launch of the eSIM-only iPhone Air last year.
The research also cast a positive light on travel eSIM, a sector profiled extensively in CCS Insight’s recent Spotlight report. Almost a quarter of people have used a travel eSIM provider, rising to 32% among people who have holidayed abroad over the past three years.
Impressively, 73% of respondents are considering using a travel eSIM for their next international trip, including 86% of those who have used one before. The main reasons cited were convenience and to save money.
Kester Mann, Director of Consumer and Connectivity at CCS Insight, said the results cement the indelible role of eSIM in people’s journeys to get connected. “We’ve seen a surge in awareness of eSIM, as well as encouraging intention to use the technology. Combined with rising compatibility in smartphones and support from operators, it won’t be long before eSIM becomes the de facto way to sign up to a mobile service,” he remarked.
The survey also highlighted continued momentum for SIM-only plans, as the disaggregation of airtime and devices gathers pace. Close to 45% of Britons now take a SIM-only plan according to the research, up by about 10 percentage points from five years ago. Among the many drivers are lengthening replacement cycles for phones and attractive offers from providers.
A new area of research explored consumers’ use of personal hot spots. More than 40% of people said they use the feature on their phones to connect other devices, with about two-thirds doing so at least once a week. The survey showed a clear correlation between hot-spot usage and the amount of data people have in their plan.
Commenting, Mann noted that the second-most-common place to tether devices was in the home. “This could start to offer a competitive threat to some entry-level home broadband services,” he said. “People in smaller households may find it more cost-effective to tether to a hot spot from a mobile plan with a generous amount of mobile data than to sign up with a mainstream broadband provider”.
Growing enthusiasm for unlimited mobile data plans — also identified in the research — could further fuel the trend.
Apple and Samsung’s dominance in the devices market shows no sign of easing: 85% of survey respondents said their primary phone for personal use is one of these two brands, up from 80% a year ago. Concerningly for rivals, 80% of iPhone users and 73% of Samsung customers said they intend to keep the same brand next time they change or upgrade their phone.
Other highlights from the survey include an increase in positivity toward the Vodafone–Three merger since last year; growing momentum for refurbished devices; a sense of injustice toward upcoming mobile price rises; and willingness to buy mobile plans from non-traditional providers such as a bank, energy supplier or insurance company.
Notes to Editors
The research was conducted in December 2025. CCS Insight surveyed 1,006 mobile phone users in the UK aged 16 and over, representative of the population by age, gender and region. When answering questions, people were asked to consider their primary mobile phone for personal use.
The survey focused on multiple areas, including where and how people buy mobile phones, brand loyalty and switching intentions, different ways to interact with telecom providers, views on annual price rises, the trend of online activities, eSIM, views on foldable smartphones, opinions on AI, unlimited data and personal hot spots, and buyer perceptions of mobile providers.
More details of CCS Insight’s extensive research into mobile network operators and mobile phones can be found at: https://www.ccsinsight.com/ccs-insight/research-areas/
About CCS Insight
CCS Insight is a global analyst company providing valuable insights and analysis to navigate the complex technology landscape. It offers comprehensive services tailored to meet the individual needs of its clients, helping them make sense of the connected world and optimize their strategies. CCS Insight was recently acquired by FDM, a leading player in telecom pricing and market share insights which is backed by private equity firm Inflexion. Learn more at ccsinsight.com.
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