Remember the days of physical SIM cards? Those tiny plastic chips you'd fumble with every time you traveled, hunting down a local vendor or dealing with exorbitant roaming fees?
If we skip the technical nitty-gritty of eSIM evolution, the timeline is straightforward: Samsung pioneered eSIM in smartwatches, Google integrated it into the Pixel 2 in 2017, and Apple jumped on board in 2018 with their iPhones. In the US, iPhones have been sold without physical slots for years, and globally, this relic is hopefully on its way out soon — fingers crossed we'll forget it ever existed.
But while eSIM adoption varies by country, the real pain point for globetrotters has been acquiring connectivity abroad. For the past few years, thanks to advancing tech, I've ditched that hassle entirely by using Airalo—a company that nailed the timing with a product that's become indispensable for seamless travel connectivity.
The process is pure magic: En route to the airport, I hop into the Airalo app, select an eSIM for my destination with the desired data gigs, and activate it. It takes about three minutes, and the best part? The moment I step off the plane in a new country, I'm online — right from the tarmac.
No queues, no language barriers, just instant internet. Prices aren't outrageous either, typically $10-15 depending on the location, with options for unlimited data in many spots. It's worked flawlessly for me across Europe and Asia, where plans vary but always deliver.
You'd think launching a travel-focused product months before a global pandemic would spell doom, but Airalo survived—and thrived—because they were nimble and small enough to weather the storm. As borders reopened, the pent-up demand for travel exploded, and Airalo was perfectly positioned to capitalize.
One of the co-founders, Ahmet Bahadir Ozdemir (CEO), brought telecom expertise to the table. Before Airalo, he managed a ship supply company where captains constantly requested SIM cards. This led to his prior venture, Sim4crew, which kept 50,000 sailors connected during voyages. Teaming up with Abraham Burak (COO, a Canadian with a law background who dropped out to build the company), they founded Airalo in 2019 in Singapore, with headquarters now in Delaware, USA, and offices worldwide.
Airalo builds its eSIM offerings through a network of partnerships with carriers — some via wholesale capacity purchases, others through reselling international roaming plans. Essentially, they earn through commissions on eSIM sales, plus partner APIs and affiliate programs. It's a scalable, digital-first model that Ozdemir likens to the "Amazon of eSIMs."
After a sluggish start due to COVID, growth resumed in 2022. By their Series B in 2023, they boasted 20% month-over-month revenue growth and nearly 1 million downloads monthly. Fast-forward to 2025: A $220 million investment round led by CVC valued Airalo at over $1 billion, making it the first eSIM unicorn. Today, it serves over 20 million users across 200+ destinations and ranks as the #1 travel app in numerous countries' app stores.
The market factors fueling their success are clear:
- Perfect Timing: eSIM gained massive traction thanks to giants like Apple pushing software-based standards, phasing out physical SIMs.
- Travel Rebound: Post-COVID, wanderlust surged, with travelers seeking affordable alternatives to pricey carrier roaming.
- User-Centric Insight: People don't want SIM cards — they want connectivity. Just as Netflix bypassed DVDs, Airalo sidesteps physical hassles.
In a conservative telecom industry, Airalo proves you can disrupt with a marketplace if you grasp real user needs and luck into stellar timing. As eSIM becomes ubiquitous, expect Airalo to keep connecting the world, one digital plan at a time.
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