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Implementing eSIM

Embedded SIM (eSIM, or eUICC) is the latest technology to allow mobile users to download a carrier profile and activate a carrier's service without having a physical SIM card. It is a global specification driven by the GSMA that enables remote SIM provisioning of any mobile device. Starting with Android 9, the Android framework provides standard APIs for accessing eSIM and managing subscription profiles on the eSIM. These eUICC APIs enable third parties to develop their own carrier apps and Local Profile Assistants (LPAs) on eSIM-enabled Android devices.

The LPA is a standalone, system application that should be included in the Android build image. Management of the profiles on the eSIM is generally done by the LPA, as it serves as a bridge between the SM-DP+ (remote service that prepares, stores, and delivers profile packages to devices) and the eUICC chip. The LPA APK can optionally include a UI component, called the LPA UI or LUI, to provide a central place for the end user to manage all embedded subscription profiles. The Android framework automatically discovers and connects to the best available LPA, and routes all the eUICC operations through an LPA instance.

Simplified Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) architecture

Figure 1. Simplified Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) architecture

Mobile network operators interested in creating a carrier app should look at the APIs in EuiccManager, which provides high-level profile management operations such as downloadSubscription(), switchToSubscription(), and deleteSubscription().

If you are a device OEM interested in creating your own LPA system app, you must extend EuiccService for the Android framework to connect to your LPA services. In addition, you should use the APIs in EuiccCardManager, which provides ES10x functions based on GSMA Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) v2.0. These functions are used to issue commands to the eUICC chip, such as prepareDownload(), loadBoundProfilePackage(), retrieveNotificationList(), and resetMemory().

The APIs in EuiccManager require a properly implemented LPA app to function and the caller of EuiccCardManager APIs must be an LPA. This is enforced by the Android framework.

Making a carrier app

The eUICC APIs in Android 9 make it possible for mobile network operators to create carrier-branded applications to manage their profiles directly. This includes downloading and deleting subscription profiles owned by the carrier, as well as switching to a profile owned by a carrier.

EuiccManager

EuiccManager is the main entry point for applications to interact with the LPA. This includes carrier apps that download, delete, and switch to subscriptions owned by the carrier. This also includes the LUI system app, which provides a central location/UI for managing all embedded subscriptions, and can be a separate app from the one that provides the EuiccService.

To use the public APIs, a carrier app must first obtain the instance of EuiccManager through Context#getSystemService:

EuiccManager mgr = (EuiccManager) context.getSystemService(Context.EUICC_SERVICE);

You should check whether eSIM is supported on the device before performing any eSIM operations. EuiccManager#isEnabled() generally returns true if the android.hardware.telephony.euicc feature is defined and an LPA package is present.

boolean isEnabled = mgr.isEnabled();
if (!isEnabled) {
    return;
}

To get information about the eUICC hardware and the eSIM OS version:

EuiccInfo info = mgr.getEuiccInfo();
String osVer = info.getOsVersion();

Many APIs, such as downloadSubscription() and switchToSubscription(), use PendingIntent callbacks as they may take seconds or even minutes to complete. The PendingIntent is sent with a result code in the EuiccManager#EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION_RESULT_ space, which provides framework-defined error codes, as well as an arbitrary detailed result code propagated from the LPA as EXTRA_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION_DETAILED_CODE, allowing the carrier app to track for logging/debugging purposes. The PendingIntent must be a BroadcastReceiver.

To download a given DownloadableSubscription (created from an activation code or a QR code):

// Register receiver.
static final String ACTION_DOWNLOAD_SUBSCRIPTION = "download_subscription";
static final String LPA_DECLARED_PERMISSION
    = "com.your.company.lpa.permission.BROADCAST";
BroadcastReceiver receiver =
        new BroadcastReceiver() {
            @Override
            public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
                if (!action.equals(intent.getAction())) {
                    return;
                }
                resultCode = getResultCode();
                detailedCode = intent.getIntExtra(
                    EuiccManager.EXTRA_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION_DETAILED_CODE,
                    0 /* defaultValue*/);
                resultIntent = intent;
            }
        };
context.registerReceiver(receiver,
        new IntentFilter(ACTION_DOWNLOAD_SUBSCRIPTION),
        LPA_DECLARED_PERMISSION /* broadcastPermission*/,
        null /* handler */);

// Download subscription asynchronously.
DownloadableSubscription sub = DownloadableSubscription
        .forActivationCode(code /* encodedActivationCode*/);
Intent intent = new Intent(action);
PendingIntent callbackIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
        getContext(), 0 /* requestCode */, intent,
        PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mgr.downloadSubscription(sub, true /* switchAfterDownload */,
        callbackIntent);

To switch to a subscription given the subscription ID:

// Register receiver.
static final String ACTION_SWITCH_TO_SUBSCRIPTION = "switch_to_subscription";
static final String LPA_DECLARED_PERMISSION
    = "com.your.company.lpa.permission.BROADCAST";
BroadcastReceiver receiver =
        new BroadcastReceiver() {
            @Override
            public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) {
                if (!action.equals(intent.getAction())) {
                    return;
                }
                resultCode = getResultCode();
                detailedCode = intent.getIntExtra(
                    EuiccManager.EXTRA_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION_DETAILED_CODE,
                    0 /* defaultValue*/);
                resultIntent = intent;
            }
        };
context.registerReceiver(receiver,
        new IntentFilter(ACTION_SWITCH_TO_SUBSCRIPTION),
        LPA_DECLARED_PERMISSION /* broadcastPermission*/,
        null /* handler */);

// Switch to a subscription asynchronously.
Intent intent = new Intent(action);
PendingIntent callbackIntent = PendingIntent.getBroadcast(
        getContext(), 0 /* requestCode */, intent,
        PendingIntent.FLAG_UPDATE_CURRENT);
mgr.switchToSubscription(1 /* subscriptionId */, callbackIntent);

For a complete list of EuiccManager APIs and code examples, see eUICC APIs.

Resolvable errors

There are some cases where the system is unable to complete the eSIM operation but the error can be resolved by the user. For example, downloadSubscription may fail if the profile metadata indicates that a carrier confirmation code is required. Or switchToSubscription may fail if the carrier app has carrier privileges over the destination profile (i.e. carrier owns the profile) but doesn't have carrier privileges over the currently enabled profile, and hence user consent is required.

For these cases, the caller's callback is called with EuiccManager#EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION_RESULT_RESOLVABLE_ERROR. The callback Intent will contain internal extras such that when the caller passes it to EuiccManager#startResolutionActivity, resolution can be requested through the LUI. Using the confirmation code for example again, EuiccManager#startResolutionActivity triggers an LUI screen that allows the user to enter a confirmation code; after the code is entered, the download operation is resumed. This approach provides the carrier app with full control over when the UI is shown, but gives the LPA/LUI an extensible method for adding new handling of user-recoverable issues in the future without needing client apps to change.

Android 9 defines these resolvable errors in EuiccService, which the LUI should handle:

/**
 * Alert the user that this action will result in an active SIM being
 * deactivated. To implement the LUI triggered by the system, you need to define
 * this in AndroidManifest.xml.
 */
public static final String ACTION_RESOLVE_DEACTIVATE_SIM =
        "android.service.euicc.action.RESOLVE_DEACTIVATE_SIM";
/**
 * Alert the user about a download/switch being done for an app that doesn't
 * currently have carrier privileges.
 */
public static final String ACTION_RESOLVE_NO_PRIVILEGES =
        "android.service.euicc.action.RESOLVE_NO_PRIVILEGES";

/** Ask the user to input carrier confirmation code. */
public static final String ACTION_RESOLVE_CONFIRMATION_CODE =
        "android.service.euicc.action.RESOLVE_CONFIRMATION_CODE";

Carrier privileges

If you are a carrier developing your own carrier app that calls EuiccManager to download profiles onto a device, your profile should include carrier privilege rules corresponding to your carrier app in the metadata. This is because subscription profiles belonging to different carriers can co-exist in the eUICC of a device, and each carrier app should only be allowed to access the profiles owned by that carrier. For example, carrier A should not be able to download, enable, or disable a profile owned by carrier B.

To ensure a profile is only accessible to its owner, Android uses a mechanism to grant special privileges to the profile owner's app (i.e. carrier app). The Android platform loads certificates stored in the profile's Access Rule File (ARF) and grants permission to apps signed by these certificates to make calls to EuiccManager APIs. The high-level process is described below:

  1. Operator signs the carrier app APK; the apksigner tool attaches the public-key certificate to the APK.

  2. Operator/SM-DP+ prepares a profile and its metadata, which include an ARF that contains:

    1. Signature (SHA-1 or SHA-256) of the carrier app's public-key certificate (required)
    2. Package name of the carrier app (optional)

  3. Carrier app tries to perform an eUICC operation via EuiccManager API.

  4. Android platform verifies SHA-1 or SHA-256 hash of the caller app's certificate matches the signature of the certificate obtained from the target profile's ARF. If the package name of the carrier app is included in the ARF, it must also match the package name of the caller app.

  5. After the signature and the package name (if included) are verified, the carrier privilege is granted to the caller app over the target profile.

Because profile metadata can be available outside of the profile itself (so that LPA can retrieve the profile metadata from SM-DP+ before the profile is downloaded, or from ISD-R when the profile is disabled), it should contain the same carrier privilege rules as in the profile.

The eUICC OS and SM-DP+ must support a proprietary tag BF76 in the profile metadata. The tag content should be the same carrier privilege rules as returned by the ARA (Access Rule Applet) defined in UICC Carrier Privileges:

RefArDo ::= [PRIVATE 2] SEQUENCE {  -- Tag E2
    refDo [PRIVATE 1] SEQUENCE {  -- Tag E1
        deviceAppIdRefDo [PRIVATE 1] OCTET STRING (SIZE(20|32)),  -- Tag C1
        pkgRefDo [PRIVATE 10] OCTET STRING (SIZE(0..127)) OPTIONAL  -- Tag CA
    },
    arDo [PRIVATE 3] SEQUENCE {  -- Tag E3
        permArDo [PRIVATE 27] OCTET STRING (SIZE(8))  -- Tag DB
    }
}

For more details on app signing, see Sign your app. For details on carrier privileges, see UICC Carrier Privileges.

Making an LPA app

You can implement your own LPA, which must be hooked up with Android Euicc APIs. The following sections give a brief overview of making an LPA app and integrating it with the Android system.

Hardware/modem requirements

The LPA and the eSIM OS on the eUICC chip must support at least GSMA RSP (Remote SIM Provisioning) v2.0 or v2.2. You should also plan to use SM-DP+ and SM-DS servers that have a matching RSP version. For detailed RSP architecture, see GSMA SGP.21 RSP Architecture Specification.

In addition, to integrate with the eUICC APIs in Android 9, the device modem should send terminal capabilities with the support for eUICC capabilities encoded (Local Profile Management and Profile Download). It also needs to implement the following APIs:

  • IRadio HAL v1.1: setSimPower
  • IRadio HAL v1.2: getIccCardStatus
  • IRadioConfig HAL v1.0: getSimSlotsStatus

The modem should recognize the eSIM with the default boot profile enabled as a valid SIM and keep the SIM power on.

For a complete list of modem requirements, see Modem Requirements for eSIM Support.

EuiccService

An LPA consists of two separate components (may both be implemented in the same APK): the LPA backend, and the LPA UI or LUI.

To implement the LPA backend, you must extend EuiccService and declare this service in your manifest file. The service must require the android.permission.BIND_EUICC_SERVICE system permission to ensure that only the system can bind to it. The service must also include an intent filter with the android.service.euicc.EuiccService action. The priority of the intent filter should be set to a non-zero value in case multiple implementations are present on the device. For example:

<service
    android:name=".EuiccServiceImpl"
    android:permission="android.permission.BIND_EUICC_SERVICE">
    <intent-filter android:priority="100">
        <action android:name="android.service.euicc.EuiccService" />
    </intent-filter>
</service>

Internally, the Android framework determines the active LPA and interacts with it as needed to support the Android eUICC APIs. PackageManager is queried for all apps with the android.permission.WRITE_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTIONS permission, which specifies a service for the android.service.euicc.EuiccService action. The service with the highest priority is selected. If no service is found, LPA support is disabled.

To implement the LUI, you must provide an activity for the following actions:

  • android.service.euicc.action.MANAGE_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTIONS
  • android.service.euicc.action.PROVISION_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION

As with the service, each activity must require the android.permission.BIND_EUICC_SERVICE system permission. Each should have an intent filter with the appropriate action, the android.service.euicc.category.EUICC_UI category, and a non-zero priority. Similar logic is used to pick the implementations for these activities as with picking the implementation of EuiccService. For example:

<activity android:name=".MyLuiActivity"
          android:exported="true"
          android:permission="android.permission.BIND_EUICC_SERVICE">
    <intent-filter android:priority="100">
        <action android:name="android.service.euicc.action.MANAGE_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTIONS" />
        <action android:name="android.service.euicc.action.PROVISION_EMBEDDED_SUBSCRIPTION" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.service.euicc.category.EUICC_UI" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

This implies that the UI implementing these screens can come from a different APK from the one that implements EuiccService. Whether to have a single APK or multiple APKs (e.g. one that implements EuiccService and one that provides LUI activities) is a design choice.

EuiccCardManager

EuiccCardManager is the interface for communicating with the eSIM chip. It provides ES10 functions (as described in the GSMA RSP spec) and handles the low-level APDU request/response commands as well as ASN.1 parsing. EuiccCardManager is a system API and can be called only by system-privileged applications.

Carrier apps, LPA, and Euicc APIs

Figure 2. Both carrier app and LPA use Euicc APIs

The profile operation APIs through EuiccCardManager require the caller to be an LPA. This is enforced by the Android framework. This means the caller must extend the EuiccService and be declared in your manifest file, as described in the previous sections.

Similar to the EuiccManager, to use the EuiccCardManager APIs, your LPA must first obtain the instance of EuiccCardManager through Context#getSystemService:

EuiccCardManager cardMgr = (EuiccCardManager) context.getSystemService(Context.EUICC_CARD_SERVICE);

Then, to get all the profiles on the eUICC:

ResultCallback<EuiccProfileInfo[]> callback =
       new ResultCallback<EuiccProfileInfo[]>() {
           @Override
           public void onComplete(int resultCode,
                   EuiccProfileInfo[] result) {
               if (resultCode == EuiccCardManagerReflector.RESULT_OK) {
                   // handle result
               } else {
                   // handle error
               }
           }
       };

cardMgr.requestAllProfiles(eid, AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR, callback);

Internally, EuiccCardManager binds to EuiccCardController (which runs in the phone process) through an AIDL interface, and each EuiccCardManager method receives its callback from the phone process through a different, dedicated AIDL interface. When using EuiccCardManager APIs, the caller (LPA) must provide an Executor through which the callback is invoked. This Executor may run on a single thread or on a thread pool of your choice.

Most EuiccCardManager APIs have the same usage pattern. For example, to load a bound profile package onto the eUICC:

...
cardMgr.loadBoundProfilePackage(eid, boundProfilePackage,
        AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR, callback);

To switch to a different profile with a given ICCID:

...
cardMgr.switchToProfile(eid, iccid, true /* refresh */,
        AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR, callback);

To get the default SM-DP+ address from the eUICC chip:

...
cardMgr.requestDefaultSmdpAddress(eid, AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR,
        callback);

To retrieve a list of notifications of the given notification events:

...
cardMgr.listNotifications(eid,
        EuiccNotification.Event.INSTALL
              | EuiccNotification.Event.DELETE /* events */,
        AsyncTask.THREAD_POOL_EXECUTOR, callback);

Validation

AOSP does not come with an LPA implementation and you are not expected to have an LPA available on all Android builds (not every phone supports eSIM). For this reason, there are no end-to-end CTS test cases. However, basic test cases are available in AOSP to ensure the exposed eUICC APIs are valid in Android builds.

You should make sure the builds pass the following CTS test cases (for public APIs):

https://android.googlesource.com/platform/cts/+/master/tests/tests/telephony/src/android/telephony/

Carriers implementing a carrier app should go through their normal in-house quality assurance cycles to ensure all implemented features are working as expected. At the minimum, the carrier app should be able to list all the subscription profiles owned by the same operator, download and install a profile, activate service on the profile, switch between profiles, and delete profiles.

If you are making your own LPA, you should go through much more rigorous testing. You should work with your modem vendor, eUICC chip or eSIM OS vendor, SM-DP+ vendors, and carriers to resolve issues and ensure interoperability of your LPA within the RSP architecture. A good amount of manual testing is inevitable. For best test coverage, you should follow the GSMA SGP.23 RSP Test Plan.