The GSMA SGP.32 specification is the industry's answer to a specific challenge: how do you manage eSIM profiles across millions of IoT devices that may be deployed in remote locations, embedded in industrial equipment, or shipped globally — without ever physically touching the SIM?
Designed for IoT, Not Consumers
Previous eSIM specifications (SGP.01, SGP.02, SGP.22) were designed with consumer devices in mind. SGP.32 is different — it was built specifically for IoT constraints: low-power operation, intermittent connectivity, headless devices (no screen, no user interaction), and deployment at scale.
Remote Provisioning Over Standard Protocols
SGP.32 enables remote profile provisioning, enablement, and management over HTTPS, LwM2M, and MQTT. Device manufacturers and connectivity providers can manage the full profile lifecycle — downloads, status changes, deletions — without any physical SIM swap at any point in the device's lifetime.
The eSIM IoT Manager (eIM)
At the centre of the SGP.32 architecture is the eSIM IoT Manager (eIM) — a centralised platform that orchestrates profile operations across a fleet of devices. The eIM communicates with operators and device SIM chips through standardised interfaces, enabling carrier-agnostic multi-profile management.
New Software Modules: IPA Family
SGP.32 introduces a family of software modules called the IoT Profile Assistant (IPA, IPAe, IPAd). These modules run on the device or in a nearby gateway and handle the protocol translation between the device and the eIM. Device manufacturers choose the integration approach that fits their architecture — on-device, gateway-based, or hybrid.
Three Pain Points Solved
- SIM logistics complexity. No more pre-configured SIMs, per-carrier SKUs, or physical swap operations in the field.
- Operational cost. Remote profile management replaces manual field operations at scale.
- Global connectivity. Devices can be shipped with a single universal SKU and provisioned to local carriers post-deployment, anywhere in the world.