SBTS, the joint venture between BTS and SoftBank Corp., has announced a strategic partnership with ZIM Connections to launch a travel eSIM solution.

The solution will initially be focused on inbound and outbound travel into and from Japan and marks the first step in a broader global rollout of multiple travel eSIM offerings, SBTS said. The service is now live and commercially available, with the initial launch enabling travellers to easily search for, purchase and activate unlimited global eSIM plans.

Prioritising a seamless digital experience, the first phase of the solution will focus on travellers visiting Japan and Japan-based travellers going abroad – leveraging SoftBank’s network for connectivity in the region.

“Travellers today expect simple, digital-first connectivity wherever they go,” said Giulia Acchioni Mena, co-founder and COO of ZIM Connections. “This launch brings a seamless travel eSIM experience to market, designed to meet the strong demand around inbound travel to Japan and international mobility more broadly.

“It’s built to scale and adapt as traveller needs continue to evolve.”

Having established a foundation for international expansion, the companies said future phases of the launch will introduce additional languages, currencies and payment methods, followed by broader global deployment and additional versions of the travel eSIM solution.

“This collaboration brings together the right mix of platform expertise and market reach to deliver a scalable travel connectivity solution,” said Norioki Sekiguchi, CEO of SBTS. “It demonstrates how aligned partnerships can accelerate market-ready innovation.”

Akihiro Kato, senior director at SoftBank’s cross-border business promotion office, added: “Expanding our product suite with travel eSIM is an important step in serving both inbound visitors to Japan and Japanese travellers going abroad.

“This allows us to bring a market-ready solution to customers quickly, while building the foundation for deeper product development in the future.”

Currently, the service is available to B2C users worldwide and marks the beginning of a wider collaboration aimed at expanding travel connectivity services across more markets worldwide.

The news comes as eSIM services continue to gain popularity worldwide, becoming a quick and easy way to get connected when travelling. Having become much more mainstream in the mobile market, eSIMs can enable remote setup, enhance security and reduce costs.

“Customers and the nature of contracts have changed and there are so many options out there,” Lifecycle Software CEO Liz Parry told Capacity in an interview last year. “eSIM is another step in that evolution.”

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