In the first half of 2026, the share of new connections using eSIM technology in the lifecell network increased to 22% compared to 8% in 2022. The growth in demand for virtual cards among the operator’s subscribers has been recorded over the past four years.
In the first half of 2026, the share of new connections using eSIM technology in the lifecell network increased to 22% compared to 8% in 2022. The growth in demand for virtual cards among the operator’s subscribers has been recorded over the past four years.
This was reported by lifecell to dev.ua. It is noted that the total number of active eSIMs in the company’s network in the first half of 2026 increased by 34% compared to the same period last year. Currently, virtual cards already account for 16% of all active SIM cards in the operator’s network. The highest concentration of digital SIM card users is recorded in large cities — Kyiv, Lviv and Odessa.
The technology is especially actively used by owners of iOS-based devices. Among Apple users in the lifecell network, 80% chose the virtual eSIM format. This is also facilitated by the general growth in the popularity of smartphones of the American brand: over the past five years, the penetration of iOS devices among the operator’s subscribers has increased from 15% to 25%. The most popular models with active eSIM in the network are the iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 13 and iPhone 16 Pro Max.
One of the main drivers of the technology was the ability to completely remotely connect and port the number (MNP) with the code saved without visiting a physical store. In the first half of 2026, the share of users who ported their number to lifecell on eSIM increased to 9% compared to 3% in 2022.
The operator’s online store remains the most popular channel for purchasing virtual cards (52% of connections). Another 29% of transactions are through the My lifecell application, and 14% of subscribers purchase the service through partner banks monobank and Privat24.
