SGP.22

SGP.22 is the GSMA technical specification for Remote SIM Provisioning in consumer devices — the standard behind eSIM in phones, tablets, smartwatches and laptops. It defines how a device’s LPA downloads an operator profile from an SM-DP+ onto the eUICC, with the user in control of each step.

What SGP.22 defines

• Roles and interfaces: the SM-DP+, the SM-DS, the LPA and the eUICC, connected by interfaces such as ES2+ (operator to SM-DP+), ES9+ (SM-DP+ to LPA) and ES10 (LPA to eUICC).
• The activation code format, LPA:1$…, used in eSIM QR codes.
• Security: mutual authentication between eUICC and SM-DP+ using a GSMA-governed certificate hierarchy, and profile encryption bound to a single eUICC.
• Local profile management: enabling, disabling, deleting and nicknaming profiles, with end-user confirmation.
• Profile classes and policies: operational, provisioning and test profiles, plus policy rules that can, for example, prevent a profile from being deleted.

Conformance testing for SGP.22 products is defined in the companion specification SGP.23.

Versions

The GSMA released its first consumer RSP specification in February 2016. SGP.22 is now maintained in two lines, version 2 and version 3. Version 3 adds optional features such as Multiple Enabled Profiles (MEP), which lets one eUICC run two profiles at once for dual-SIM use. The eUICC reports which SGP.22 version it supports, so servers and devices can work across both lines.

SGP.22 and IoT

SGP.22 assumes a user who can scan a code and confirm a download. That fits phones but not headless sensors, so the GSMA created SGP.31 and SGP.32 for IoT. SGP.32 reuses SGP.22’s SM-DP+ and SM-DS infrastructure but replaces the LPA with an IPA controlled by an eIM. Before SGP.32 products were available, many IoT modules adopted SGP.22-style downloads driven through AT commands.

Why it matters for testing

SGP.22 governs the eSIMs sold by travel eSIM brands and MVNOs as QR codes. The problems customers report — a QR code that will not install, or a profile that installs but never attaches abroad — span both the SGP.22 download and the network that follows. SimCheck.ai tests both on real modems and live networks — see travel eSIM quality monitoring.