Comprehensive technical knowledge base covering 12 GSMA eSIM specifications. 84+ articles on Remote SIM Provisioning — SGP.02, SGP.22, SGP.32, SGP.41, SGP.29, SGP.23, SGP.25, SGP.26 and more.
You have a garage full of cars. In the old days, if you wanted to start a car, lock a car, or check a car’s fuel level, you had to physically walk to each car and use the key. What if your car company could send you a remote control that lets them start, stop, or check your cars from their office: with your permission, of course?
That’s exactly what Remote Profile Management (RPM) does for your phone’s secret keys. It’s the remote control that lets your mobile company manage your eSIM profiles without you ever touching the screen: but always with your approval!
In v2.x, if your mobile company needed to make a change to your secret key:
The mobile company was basically locked out of its own keys once they were in your phone: like giving someone a car key and never being able to check if the car is still running!
RPM gives your mobile company a control panel with six buttons:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Enable | “Switch on the Home key” : activates a specific profile |
| Disable | “Switch off the Work key” : deactivates a profile |
| Delete | “Remove the Travel key entirely” : wipes a profile from the vault |
| ListProfileInfo | “Show me all the keys in the vault” : checks what’s installed |
| UpdateMetadata | “Rename the key to ‘My Awesome Plan’” : changes the label |
| Contact PCMP | “Open the workshop so we can update what’s inside the key” |
RPM happens in three phases, like a well-rehearsed theatre performance:
The mobile company calls the Key Maker and says: “Please prepare a Remote Command package for this phone.” The Key Maker creates an RPM Package : a bundle of commands wrapped in a secure envelope: and registers an event with the Post Office.
The Phone’s Assistant discovers the waiting package (via the Post Office, the Magic Doorbell, or directly). Before even opening it, the Assistant checks: “Do any of these commands break the security rules?” Then it asks you: “Your mobile company wants to do these things. Is that OK?”
If you say yes, the Assistant delivers the package to the Magic Vault Chip. The chip processes each command one by one, like a careful chef following a recipe. Results fly back to the mobile company : “Enable: done! Disable: done! Update name: done!”
Here’s the most important rule: RPM always requires your consent. Before any remote command runs, your phone’s Assistant must:
You can always say “No thanks!” : and if you do, the entire package is cancelled. Nobody can force changes onto your phone without you knowing.
| Local Management (v2.x) | Remote Management (v3.x) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who starts it? | You tap the screen | Your mobile company sends a command |
| Commands available | Enable, Disable, Delete | Enable, Disable, Delete, List Info, Update Name, Contact Workshop |
| Do you approve? | Yes (you started it!) | Yes: still required! |
| What if a command fails? | Stop immediately | Can continue or stop (configurable) |
| Can commands be chained? | No | Yes: multiple packages linked together |
Each RPM Package is limited to 1,057 bytes : about the size of a short poem. If the mobile company needs to send more commands than fit, they can chain multiple packages using a “more coming!” flag (rpmPending). It’s like sending a book in multiple letters, with “to be continued…” at the end of each one!
Kid-friendly version of Remote Profile Management