Visible adds eSIM and 5G



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Visible, the MVNO owned by Verizon, adds new services that make its use a little more like subscription to one of the major wireless carriers. As of today, Visible now supports service activation via eSIM. This only works with recent and compatible iPhones, but Visible says it will add support for Android devices soon. The company also offers 5G service (with limits), free calls and messages to Canada and Mexico.

Visible customer access to Verizon’s 5G network has important fine print: both Nationwide and Ultra Wideband are included, but data speeds will be capped at 200 Mbps. Direct carrier subscribers (AKA Verizon customers) also have priority over the fastest data speeds in times of congestion. This is normal for MVNOs. While they can offer competitively priced plans, they usually come with limitations like speed reductions for heavy data users and streaming video at 480p only.

Support for eSIM makes a lot of sense with Visible’s all-digital ethos: Customers with compatible phones can switch to Visible without waiting for a physical SIM card to be sent. By opting for an integrated rather than removable SIM card, eSIM technology facilitates the change of operator using an existing device. It’s very appealing to MVNOs trying to compete with the big carriers.

Visible’s announcement today also includes information about its Party Pay plans, which allow customers to share the cost of the plan while maintaining separate accounts and billing. Previously capped at four people, these packages can now include an unlimited number of lines.

Finally, Visible will no longer charge for calls and texts between the continental United States and Canada, Mexico, the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. It is increasingly common for US carriers to include calls and texts from the United States to neighboring regions at no additional cost or at a low monthly flat rate. All of these features (with the exception of the upcoming Android eSIM support) are available from today.

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