SGP.32

For anyone designing IoT devices that need to manage cellular connectivity across operators, geographies, or long operational lifespans, SGP.32 is the framework that makes it commercially and technically viable. It is the eSIM specification built specifically for the IoT device tier that eRedCap targets – and understanding what it does and how it works is essential for anyone planning IoT deployments beyond 2025.

The full SGP.32 specification reference and technical deep-dive is at sgp32.co.uk. This page covers the architecture, the problem it solves, its relationship to eRedCap, and the current deployment landscape.

The Problem SGP.32 Solves

Before SGP.32, the IoT industry had two GSMA eSIM specifications to work with – neither designed for modern IoT realities.

SGP.02 (M2M eSIM) was the original machine-to-machine standard. It works, and hundreds of millions of devices use it. But switching operator profiles requires a direct technical integration between the old operator and the new one – an SM-SR-to-SM-SR handover that requires bilateral commercial agreements and technical cooperation between competing carriers. At small scale this is manageable. Across a global fleet of ten million devices requiring operator switches in ten different countries, it becomes operationally impossible.

SGP.22 (Consumer eSIM) solved the operator-independence problem for smartphones but introduced a different set of constraints. It was designed for interactive devices – it assumes a user interface, a local profile manager, user consent flows. A smart meter buried in a pavement or an asset tracker on a shipping container has none of these. SGP.22 on a headless IoT device is technically possible but architecturally mismatched – the profile management overhead is designed for human-initiated operations, not automated fleet management.

SGP.32 was designed from scratch for the actual operating conditions of modern IoT: devices with no screen or keyboard, constrained cellular connections (sometimes NB-IoT or early 5G RedCap coverage), operational lifespans of 10-15 years, and fleet sizes where manual intervention per device is simply not viable. For the eUICC architecture underlying all of this, the definitive technical reference is euicc.co.uk.

SGP.32 Architecture

SGP.32 introduces four key components that together enable operator-independent IoT SIM management at scale:

The Four SGP.32 Components

eIM (eSIM IoT Manager) is the central innovation in SGP.32. It is the fleet management layer – the entity that decides which device should use which operator profile, when to switch, and when to update. The eIM operates independently of any single operator, meaning a device manufacturer or enterprise can manage their entire IoT estate from one platform regardless of which carriers the devices are connected to. Certified eIM platforms from Kigen, Simplex Wireless and others are commercially available in 2025-2026.

SM-DP+ (Subscription Manager Data Preparation) is the profile server. It holds encrypted operator profiles and delivers them securely to devices when instructed by the eIM. The SM-DP+ architecture is shared with SGP.22 consumer eSIM – a deliberate design choice that allows operators to serve both consumer and IoT eSIM from the same infrastructure.

IPA (IoT Profile Assistant) is the agent running on the IoT device itself. It is a lightweight software component designed to operate on constrained hardware with limited processing power and intermittent connectivity – conditions that would prevent the SGP.22 Local Profile Assistant (LPA) from functioning correctly. The IPA receives download instructions from the eIM and manages the secure profile transfer to the eUICC.

eUICC (embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card) is the physical eSIM chip embedded in the device. For the full technical architecture of the eUICC – how it stores profiles, how security domains work, and how the eUICC specification family has evolved from SGP.01 through SGP.32 – see euicc.co.uk.

What SGP.32 Enables

SGP.32 and eRedCap – The Direct Connection

SGP.32 and eRedCap are independent specifications – one governs SIM management, the other governs the radio access standard. But they are deeply complementary, and the device class they both target is identical: cost-sensitive, long-life IoT devices replacing the existing LTE Cat-1 and Cat-1bis estate from 2026 onwards.

An eRedCap smart meter designed to operate for 15 years will, over that lifespan, almost certainly need to switch operators – whether because of contract terms, coverage changes, or network shutdown. With SGP.32, that switch happens remotely, from a fleet management platform, without anyone visiting the device. Without SGP.32, it requires physical SIM replacement across potentially millions of installed devices.

The convergence is also technical. eRedCap devices operate on 5G SA networks. SGP.32 supports lightweight IoT protocols (CoAP, MQTT) that are appropriate for the constrained connectivity conditions eRedCap devices may operate in – particularly during initial deployment before 5G SA coverage in a given location is fully established, where LTE fallback may mean genuinely constrained bandwidth conditions.

Deployment Status – May 2026

SGP.32 v1.2 is the current stable, certifiable version. Certification programmes are active and the commercial ecosystem is forming:

• Telenor IoT went commercially live with SGP.32 SIM delivery in April 2026 – the first major operator to reach full production readiness.
• Certified eIM platforms: Kigen (ARM), Simplex Wireless, Webbing and others have achieved or are completing certification.
• Certified eUICC hardware: Kigen and Thales have certified eUICC chips. Module manufacturers including Quectel and Fibocom are shipping SGP.32-capable hardware.
• UK MNOs (EE, Vodafone, Three, O2) are working on SGP.32-native commercial offerings – providing underlying 4G and 5G SA infrastructure with SGP.32 commercial programmes at various stages.
• Cross-vendor interoperability is still in early validation. Different eUICC OS vendors, eIM platforms and SM-DP+ servers do not yet have fully validated interoperability across all combinations.

ABI Research revised their 2025 SGP.32 profile download forecast downward due to ecosystem maturation delays, with commercial acceleration now expected primarily from H2 2026. Kaleido Intelligence forecasts approximately 50 million SGP.32-compliant eSIMs under management globally by 2027, reaching 192 million by 2028 at a 240% CAGR.

For current SGP.32 certification status, v1.2 specification detail, and the complete technical reference, see sgp32.co.uk – the dedicated SGP.32 reference site. For the eUICC architecture that underpins all eSIM standards including SGP.32, see euicc.co.uk.

The SGP Specification Family

SGP.32 sits within a broader family of GSMA eSIM specifications. Its relationship to the other SGP specs:

• SGP.31 – The architecture requirements document that SGP.32 implements. Defines the conceptual framework for IoT eSIM provisioning.
• SGP.32 – The technical specification itself. Currently at v1.2. Defines the eIM, IPA, and all interfaces between them.
• SGP.33 – The test specification for SGP.32. Used by certification bodies to validate compliant implementations.
• SGP.41 / SGP.42 – Extend SGP.32 to support In-Factory Profile Provisioning (IFPP) for iSIM devices. Profiles injected at manufacturing rather than provisioned in the field.

Sources: sgp32.co.uk | euicc.co.uk | GSMA eSIM Hub | 5gredcap.co.uk