The Hidden Dangers Behind Travel eSIM Convenience

Travel eSIMs are marketed as the simplest way to stay connected abroad, quick to install, affordable, and flexible.
But behind that convenience lies a serious blind spot for businesses.

Recent research presented at the USENIX Security Symposium revealed that many consumer eSIM providers:

• Route traffic through foreign servers, regardless of the user’s location.
• Allow resellers access to device identifiers and location data with minimal verification.
• Perform hidden background communications without the user’s knowledge.

For employees accessing corporate systems abroad, that means potential exposure of emails, credentials, and sensitive data through networks that aren’t secure or transparent.

Why Consumer eSIMs Aren’t Built for Business

Consumer travel eSIMs are designed for holidaymakers and casual users not enterprise environments. Their focus is cost, not security, control, or compliance.

That leads to four major risks:

1. No control over routing or data privacy. Traffic can pass through unknown jurisdictions.
2. No visibility or management tools – IT teams can’t monitor usage or enforce policies.
3. No SLA or enterprise-grade support – issues often go unresolved.
4. Reliance on intermediaries – many consumer providers resell connectivity from other operators.

For regulated industries from pharma and healthcare to finance, defense, and logistics this lack of transparency creates real compliance and cybersecurity challenges.

What the Research Reveals

The USENIX study found that consumer eSIM platforms often rely on aggregators and proxy cores that re-route traffic through shared infrastructure across jurisdictions.

This means your employee’s data might cross through multiple unknown networks before reaching your systems.
Without control over those routes, IT and security teams lose oversight of where corporate data is stored, who processes it, or how it’s encrypted.

For any CISO, that’s an unacceptable risk.

The Secure Alternative: Telecom26’s Business Travel eSIM

At Telecom26, we built our Business Travel eSIM to give enterprises what consumer eSIMs can’t. Security, visibility, and control.

Here’s how our approach is different:

Operator-Owned Global Core
Unlike travel eSIM resellers, Telecom26 operates its own secure global core network.
Your data never passes through third-party intermediaries or unverified routes.

Global Multi-Network Access
Connect to 1,100+ partner networks in 200+ countries, automatically switching to the strongest signal available, ideal for business travellers and IoT devices alike.

Full Control & Visibility
Through our Connectivity Management Portal, enterprises can view usage, activate or suspend eSIMs, set policies, and monitor data in real time.

One Global Contract & Invoice
Simplify administration with one provider, one contract, and one global invoice, no roaming surprises, no local carrier dependence.

Enterprise-Grade Security

• End-to-end encryption
• Private APNs and VPN routing
• Real-time threat monitoring
• Secure provisioning and remote activation

The Business Impact

For organizations with distributed teams or global operations, connectivity is a mission-critical asset.
Yet many still rely on unverified consumer eSIMs that introduce hidden security vulnerabilities.

With Telecom26’s secure Business Travel eSIM, you get:

• Seamless connectivity across borders
• Protected data flows and private routing
• Centralized oversight for IT and security teams
• Scalability for both short-term travel and long-term global deployments

The Telecom26 eSIM Security Report

Independent research and real-world testing confirm what we’ve seen across the market, not all eSIMs are created equal.
Our latest Telecom26 eSIM Security Report explores:

• The key vulnerabilities found in many consumer travel eSIMs
• How traffic routing, data access, and reseller chains create privacy risks
• What enterprises should demand from a secure eSIM provider

Download the full report to understand the technical foundations behind secure, enterprise-grade eSIM deployment and why Telecom26’s operator-owned infrastructure provides the protection your teams need when working or travelling globally.

 Read the full Telecom26 eSIM Security Report

Ready to experience secure, seamless global connectivity for your team?
👉 Request your free Telecom26 Business eSIM Trial and see how enterprise-grade mobility makes a difference.