Google on Tuesday announced eSIM wireless service on its Pixel 3 smartphone with Reliance Jio and Airtel telecom carriers in India. Google was the first smartphone vendor to support built-in eSIMs with its Project Fi —
**now called Google Fi** — network last year. [caption id=“attachment_5401691” align=“alignnone” width=“1280”] The Google Pixel 3 XL. Image: tech2/Prannoy Palav[/caption] “Sprint in the US, EE in the UK, Airtel and Reliance Jio in India, and Truphone and Gigsky in various countries will also roll out eSIM support for Pixel 3 in the coming months,” Kerrie Lenhart Hogan, director, Partnerships at Google, said in a statement. “If you’re in Germany, look out for the ability to purchase Pixel 3 with eSIM functionality from Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone soon.” Pixel 2 was the first major smartphone with eSIM — an embedded SIM that lets you instantly connect to a carrier network with the tap of a button. With eSIM, users can connect across devices in the Google ecosystem — from Android smartphones to Chromebooks to Wear OS smartwatches. “To enable a consistent and simple experience across the ecosystem, we’re also creating a programme that allows Android device makers to build eSIM-capable smartphones,” said Google. Launched in October, Pixel 3 costs Rs 71,000 for the 64 GB variant in India and up to Rs 80,000 for the 128 GB storage variant. The Pixel 3 XL is available at Rs 83,000 for the 64 GB variant and up to Rs 92,000 for the 128 GB model.
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