Know Your Provider: Why Every Business Needs an eSIM Strategy for Data Sovereignty

The Convenience Trap

Business travel has never been easier. With a few taps, any employee can install a global eSIM, connect quickly, and start working on the move. No more queues for local SIM cards, no more juggling roaming fees.

But convenience often hides complexity. When a company has no defined eSIM strategy, employees may connect through networks of unknown origin. Data can pass through infrastructures or jurisdictions the company never approved, creating risks that remain invisible until something goes wrong.

The Hidden Journey of Your Data

When a traveller activates an unverified eSIM, traffic might not stay local. It could be routed through servers in multiple countries, passing through providers or intermediaries that operate outside the company’s regulatory framework.

A recent study by USENIX (eSIMplicity or eSIMplification? Privacy and Security Risks in the eSIM Ecosystem, Motallebighomi et al., 2025) revealed that some commercial eSIMs route data through opaque or undisclosed paths. Even more concerning, researchers mentioned cases where criminals distributed malicious QR codes disguised as eSIM offers to capture user data.

For individual tourists, this is a security nuisance. For companies handling client information, financial data, or regulated communications, it becomes a compliance nightmare.

From KYC to KYP: Know Your Provider

In the banking world, Know Your Customer is a mandatory practice to ensure trust and compliance. The same logic now applies to connectivity. Every organisation should follow a new principle: Know Your Provider.

Before your teams connect abroad, ask three simple questions:

1. Who provides the network access? Is it a licensed operator or a third-party aggregator?
2. Where does the data travel? Are traffic routes transparent and compliant with your company’s data protection requirements?
3. Who can access it? Can you identify and control the intermediaries involved in handling your traffic?

Without answers to these questions, no organisation can guarantee data sovereignty.

Why Visibility Matters

Mobile connectivity is no longer just a convenience. It is part of the company’s critical infrastructure. When traffic routes are unknown, compliance with GDPR, financial sector regulations, or national data sovereignty rules becomes nearly impossible to verify.

Beyond compliance, there is also operational resilience. If a network failure, cyberattack, or routing misconfiguration occurs, companies that rely on opaque third-party systems have little control over recovery or continuity.

In short, no visibility means no control. And without control, there can be no real security.

Building a Secure eSIM Strategy

Developing a secure eSIM strategy starts with taking back ownership. Instead of leaving employees to choose unknown eSIM providers, companies should provide centrally managed, verified connectivity solutions.

A sound eSIM policy should include:

• Corporate-issued eSIMs provided by a licensed operator with transparent routing.
• Central management tools for assigning, activating, and deactivating profiles.
• Defined usage policies to limit data access and reduce exposure to public networks.
• Clear visibility dashboards that show where data travels and how it is secured.

This approach ensures compliance, transparency, and peace of mind for both IT and compliance teams.

Private Mobile Experiences: The Next Step in Data Sovereignty

Some organisations are now going further, using private LTE or 5G cores to manage connectivity like their own secure mobile network. This model gives them full visibility into routing, traffic handling, and usage policies, while maintaining compliance with telecom regulations.

Solutions like MTX Connect for Business are designed to make this level of control accessible. Instead of black-box aggregators, clients work with a regulated operator that provides dedicated SIMs and eSIMs, transparent routing, and policy-based access management.

The result is a connectivity environment that supports both security and flexibility, enabling employees to connect safely anywhere in the world.

Conclusion: Connectivity as Compliance

No business would ever open a bank account without knowing the bank. Yet many still connect to mobile networks without knowing the provider, the routing, or the legal jurisdiction handling their data.

In an era where mobility is global and regulations are tightening, data sovereignty is no longer optional. It is a strategic necessity.

A well-defined eSIM strategy, built on trust, transparency, and control, protects not only your data but also your reputation and business continuity. Knowing your provider means knowing your network—and that is the foundation of secure digital operations.