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Just a message popup, a window with dark background and some text ad on it.

I did not buy this phone from a carrier, just added the SIM card later.

Really surprised to learn this doesn't happen to others. Always assumed that the SIM card had some special privilege given by Android.

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Sounds like your carrier is abusing STK to display ads.

See https://www.browserstack.com/guide/stop-popup-messages-in-an...

Caveat: if they're doing that, then they're almost certainly data mining your data streams (e.g. dns lookups etc.)

I wouldn't feel secure on such a carrier unless I also VPN'd traffic to a reputable provider (Nord, Express, or Proton) and forced DNS over TLS to known servers.

SIM cards can come with apps preloaded. There was a carrier in Mexico that would load a SIM app for Dominos Pizza and you could order a pizza from your phone if you were on that carrier. I learned this because of some carrier certification feedback I had to disposition at one job.

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