Plan cards for unlimited eSIMs use a small set of terms that decide how the plan behaves. Here they are in plain language, in the order you usually meet them.
- Unlimited eSIM
- A data-only eSIM plan with no total gigabyte cap during its validity, but with a daily full-speed quota.
- Daily full-speed quota
- The data you can use at normal 4G or 5G speed in each 24-hour period. Also called daily high-speed data or daily allowance.
- Throttling
- The drop to a fixed lower speed after the daily quota is used, such as 512 kbps, 1 Mbps or 2 Mbps.
- Fair usage policy
- The rule set, usually from the local network, that defines how much heavy traffic a plan can use before throttling.
- Reset
- The moment the daily quota refills. Many providers count 24 hours from activation rather than from midnight.
- Fallback speed
- Another name for the speed after the quota. It decides whether video calls still work.
- Hotspot or tethering
- Sharing the eSIM's data with another device over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or cable. Some plans cap it separately, others count it in the daily quota.
- Validity
- How many days the plan lasts once activated, for example 1, 7 or 30 days.
- Activation window
- How long after purchase you can start the plan. TonMobile allows 180 days, Ubigi six months and Nomad 60 days.
- Single-country plan
- A plan that works only in the country it was bought for.
- Regional plan
- One plan for a group of countries, such as a Europe pack.
- Data roaming
- A phone setting that lets a line connect to partner networks abroad. Travel eSIMs usually need it on for their own line.
- APN
- Access Point Name, the network setting a line uses to reach the internet. A wrong hotspot APN is a common reason tethering fails.
- Top-up
- Adding a new plan to an installed eSIM without reinstalling it.
- Data-only
- A plan with internet access but no local phone number for calls or texts.
- ICCID
- The serial number of an eSIM profile, often asked for by support.
See these terms at work in the unlimited eSIM guide and the provider scores.