How to Choose CRA-Compliant eSIM and Secure Remote Management for Cellular IoT Products KigenKigen Cybercrime is no longer a background risk for connected products. It is an economic force. Cybersecurity Ventures has estimated that cybercrime would cost the world $5.5 trillion annually by 2025, a figure larger than the GDP of most major economies. That is the context behind the EU Cyber Resilience Act. CRA compliance is not only a European regulatory project. It is a signal to the global market that connected products must be designed, maintained, updated, and evidenced as secure throughout their lifecycle. For embedded developers and hardware manufacturers, the practical question is simple: how do you build a cellular product that can be trusted in the field, updated remotely, and supported with evidence when a vulnerability appears? At Hardware Pioneers Max 2026, manufacturers, connectivity providers, compliance specialists, and IoT developers discussed a common challenge: building products that can meet CRA requirements from launch through long-term operation. The consensus was clear: CRA compliance must be designed from the start. For cellular IoT products, one of the strongest starting points is eSIM. CRA applies to products with digital elements made available on the EU market. It changes the baseline for manufacturers, importers, and distributors by making cybersecurity part of product conformity. That means secure design, vulnerability handling, technical documentation, update support, incident reporting, and supplier evidence all become part of the product lifecycle. The dates matter. Reporting obligations for actively exploited vulnerabilities and severe incidents begin in September 2026. The main obligations apply from December 2027. Cellular products often take years to move from architecture to prototype, pilot, certification, production, deployment, and support. A device designed today may still be shipping, connecting, and receiving updates well after CRA obligations are fully in force. The lesson is clear: if