The Cupertino-based tech giant, Apple has launched a new version of its Apple Watch 3 in India last week. The new Watch 3 model comes with LTE or cellular connectivity. In India, the company has joined hands with service providers– Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio. The Apple Watch 3 LTE model has a built-in e-SIM card embedded inside which takes care of the cellular connectivity.
Soon after the launch of Watch 3 LTE in India, Reliance Jio filed a complaint stating violation of unified license (UL) conditions by Bharati Airtel with the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Jio mentioned that Airtel hasn’t set up the infrastructure that is required for pairing the network with the Apple Watch in India.
The e-SIM model – How it works on Apple Watch 3 LTE?
The arrival of Apple Watch 3 LTE has brought a new concept and technology in the country. Although the Apple Watch is not a new device to us, its LTE version is completely different technology. To use the LTE model, you don’t have to rely on an iPhone for tethering data to it.
Once you set up your Apple Watch 3 LTE, you can immediately connect the device to the cellular providers’ network using your mobile number. So, you don’t have to carry your iPhone to use this device now. It can make and receive calls. What else you can do with this device– you can do music streaming directly from Apple iTunes, check online maps, or even make calls to emergency services without using the phone.
The e-SIM card equipped on the device employs a built-in antenna as well as the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio technology. Talking about the size, the e-SIM is almost a fraction of the size of a regular SIM card. The e-SIM is permanently fixed inside the chipset and you can’t take out or swap it like a normal smartphone. The telecom companies will provide connectivity on the device for your existing smartphone number.
The Apple Watch 3 LTE gadget uses UMTS radio technology to connect to the network. It also has an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) similar to the IMEI number of mobile devices. The IMSI is associated to your mobile number that acts like an authentication key. In case your phone is not available or unreachable, the call will be diverted to the Watch 3 device; as it will have same IMSI number.