220-1101 Question 33
Single answerSubscriber Identity Module (SIM)/eSIMA technician is setting up a company-issued smartphone for a traveling employee. The phone supports eSIM and has no physical SIM slot. The employee’s cellular carrier has already assigned a line to the device and emailed a QR code for activation. Wi-Fi is available, but the phone currently has no cellular service. Which action should the technician take NEXT to get the phone connected to the carrier network?
- A
Insert the carrier’s nano-SIM into the SIM tray and restart the phone
- B
Open the phone’s cellular settings and add a mobile plan by scanning the carrier-provided QR code
- C
Enable airplane mode, then disable it to force the phone to download carrier settings
- D
Perform a factory reset so the device can detect the carrier automatically during startup
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The best next step is to add the eSIM plan through the phone’s cellular settings by scanning the carrier-provided QR code. An eSIM is a digital SIM that stores carrier provisioning information electronically rather than on a removable card. In real-world deployments, carriers commonly provide activation details through a QR code, carrier app, or manual activation data. When the device has no current cellular service, Wi-Fi is often required so the phone can contact the carrier and download the eSIM profile. This aligns with standard mobile device setup practices documented by major device manufacturers and carriers, which describe using settings such as Add eSIM, Add Cellular Plan, or similar wording to scan a QR code and install the subscription profile.
- A. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because the scenario specifically states that the phone has no physical SIM slot. A nano-SIM cannot be inserted, so this action is not possible. This distractor targets the common assumption that all cellular activation requires a removable SIM card.
- B. Correct.
This is correct. On an eSIM-capable phone without a physical SIM slot, a technician typically activates service by going into the device’s cellular/mobile network settings and adding a mobile plan using the carrier-issued QR code. Because Wi-Fi is available, the phone can download the eSIM profile and provision the line even before cellular service is active.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because toggling airplane mode may refresh an existing cellular connection, but it does not activate a new eSIM line by itself. Without an installed eSIM profile, the device has no carrier subscription information to reconnect with.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect because a factory reset is unnecessary and would not automatically provision an eSIM plan unless the carrier profile is added again through the proper activation process. This option reflects an overly disruptive troubleshooting step that is not a best practice when a straightforward activation method is available.