Microsoft officials shared some tidbits about these new features during the WinHEC Fall 2017 Workshop, which ran November 2017 to December 1 in Taipei.
One WinHEC session focused on Always Connected PCs — the Intel/ARM-based thin and light devices that include eSIM technology so they’re always on and connected to cellular networks. Microsoft and partners showed off a couple of the coming Qualcomm ARM-based Always Connected devices at the Snapdragon Tech Summit earlier this week.
Currently, some Windows 10 PCs — including Surface Pros — include the ability to connect to LTE networks using a SIM bundled with the device or inserted at a point of sale. But with Redstone 4, Microsoft is working to make cellular connectivity more seamless, according to the recent WinHEC presentation.
End users will be able to attach their devices to their mobile operators’ data plan in Windows and eSIM profiles will be able to be downloaded from the cloud. No in-store activation will be required for this “Consumer eSIM” capability. This feature will be supported “in the next release of Windows 10,” though usage will depend on operators, channels and geographic regions.
