SIMs and Asset Management
SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards debuted in the 1990s, the era of Beanie Babies and grunge. Along with changing styles and tastes (thankfully), SIM cards have evolved.
Modern SIMs have a smaller footprint (from credit card to paperclip size) and larger capacity at a time when industrial internet of things devices (IIoT) are steeply rising. Also, the embedded SIM (eSIM) option is the “easy button,” delivering full-on network connectivity plus scalability for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
SIM cards allow data to travel over the internet to and from connected remote assets in the field: sensors, regulators, battery-operated solar systems, water tanks, as examples. The goal? Uninterrupted, secure cellular and satellite connectivity in remote environments.
Yes, the humble SIM is the linchpin for keeping data in play. When it comes to asset management, these little chip cards carry a heavy load.
Is managing multiple carriers across hundreds or thousands of SIMs, however, becoming a house of cards for global industrial operators? Could using a single SIM instead of many save money and time? How does that impact the demands of global hybrid networks? Will one SIM perform in near-impossible conditions? Could a single SIM make smart products smarter for OEMs?
In this blog, we’ll share what we’ve discovered in global IIoT deployments that close the connectivity gap using satellite, cellular, and Wi-Fi so real-time data stays in play.
Legacy LTE Connectivity Model for IoT is Yesterday’s Story
A quick look back reveals how we got here. For the past two decades, high speed data transfer used Long Term Evolution (LTE) for 2G, 3G, and 4G. LTE started with a single provider in a one-to-one relationship model.
Then came virtual private networks (VPNs), gateways and devices all connecting to enterprise on-prem. Tier one mobile network operators (MNOs) took a page from gerrymandering politics, quickly marking their wireless cellular territory. North America is a great example. You go to AT&T® for the regions not covered by Verizon® or vice versa. Suddenly, you have another vendor to manage. And another. And another.
Now, overlay that around the world. Dizzying, we know. As those one-to-one relationships with carriers multiplied, operational expenses and costs go up.
FreeWave’s VIoT-Flex Consolidates Multiple Carriers with One SIM
It’s your day off. Time to pay personal bills. A steaming mug of coffee and laptop await your attention. Wouldn’t it be nice to hit one button and call it a day?
That’s the benefit of one SIM. It’s simple. Instead of managing dozens of carrier invoices, searching your email for payment reminders, and paying each one individually, a single SIM gives you one invoice with one data rate to manage.
How do you get this little chip in your hands? We thought you’d never ask.
Enter VIoT-Flex, now available from FreeWave. We are the Master Reseller for Velocity IoT, a global mobile virtual network operator (unlike MNOs, MVNOs leverage the services of individual carriers, offering these services with one SIM, one invoice, one data rate plan – and one accountable partner to work with).
Along with Velocity IoT, we’re making IoT more accessible and scalable to a variety of remote industrial operators. VIoT-flex delivers seamless cellular coverage with no coverage gaps for OT networks. Over-the-air updates keep connectivity solutions up-to-date.
Here’s why solving the multi-SIM problem was so important for us.
We look at the data journey holistically. We saw customers in remote parts of the world struggle with keeping track of multiple SIMs, especially as they added remote devices. (There’s no turning back – IIoT is expanding! IoT analytics predicts the number of connected IoT devices globally to reach 18.8 billion by the end of 2024, up from 16.6 billion at the end of 2023.)
They wrestled with tracking of multiple invoices, multiple carriers – and multiple IMSIs (each mobile network operator has an International Mobile Subscriber Identity number). Carriers like AT&T and Verizon in North America, Rogers® in Canada, Telefónica® in Mexico each have their own IMSI numbers. When you turn on the cell modem, the IMSI looks at the modem to see what tower it can connect to. In the simple sense, the IMSI is programmed into the SIM card. With one SIM, if the modem can’t connect to the first carrier, it simply goes to the next one. Our single SIM seamlessly switches between cellular carriers and supports satellite NTN (non-terrestrial networks), ensuring reliable coverage in remote locations.
Want to learn more about VIoT-Flex? Get details here.
VIoT-Flex is like managing one SKU in your product stack.
With VIoT-Flex, customers now have access to a vast global carrier library bridging local core mobile networks.
With a three-in-one form factor, VIoT-Flex comes in 2FF normal, 3FF micro, and 4FF nano as well as embedded SIMS (eSIMs), which we’ll address in a moment. VIoT-Flex SIMs are made to withstand extreme temperatures, from a blustery -20 °C to a super hot +85 °C. VIoT-Flex eSIMs operate in -40 °C to a super hot +105 °C.
Now, imagine one SIM with multiple IMSIs to SIMplify (we had to do it!) your life:
- One cellular invoice across many
- One data rate plan across many
- Only pay for data transmitted
- Global reach: 600+ carriers in 190+ countries
- Low latency with 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE-M and NB-IoT
- No roaming fees, complex zoning tariffs, sub-optimal data pools, fixed contracts or time-consuming debugging
Only FreeWave’s VIoT-Flex gives you access to an enterprise data platform so you can manage and program SIMs and data plans from one location.
There’s the short story of how multiple IMSIs become one – giving users one invoice, one SIM for global cellular coverage. Breathing deeper?
eSIMs Reduces Costs and Make OEM Products Smarter – even in Frigid Nebraska Winters
Embedded SIM cards are called eSIMs. They are soldered right onto a device’s radio board for seamless wireless connectivity over a cellular network. OEM manufacturers use this because it protects the SIM from cracking or shrinking if it’s too cold or expanding and slipping out of the SIM card slot when temperatures get too hot. Also, eSIMs can’t be stolen, something that can readily occur in the field or factory.
One OEM partner we work with makes irrigation systems deployed in heavy ag states like Iowa, California – and Nebraska where winter temperatures can get frosty (the state’s record low is -47° in 1989). While physical SIM cards struggle in cold or heat, eSIMS can take harsh conditions because they’re built into the device.
Our partner’s SaaS model and seasonal use in farming required managing two major carriers, plus an MVNO, causing huge administrative headaches (like managing your household cellular bill, only with thousands of phones).
Using a single SIM handling multiple carriers transforms a management liability into a value-add for customers because they only pay for data transmitted – a great benefit for users in seasonal standby mode. What once was a dreaded yearly chore of tracking carriers, and making calls before and after a customer switched their system on or off, is now simplified. On average, this customer is saving 30% by using VIoT-Flex eSIMs.
Rather than manually managing thousands of devices with individual vendor dashboards, our partner is confident its customer’s interface into the enterprise app is up.
The OEM likes the ability to self-manage the portal, easily activate and deactivate cellular connectivity, monitor data usage, and view other critical SIM card information. They say that the one-rate plan makes it easy to troubleshoot and manage all the devices while having one supplier for all their data transportation needs reduces administrative costs and helps them deliver a better end user experience.
Multi-carrier single SIMs provide more peace of mind and frees up time to do other tasks that directly add value rather than time spent on cell phone billing management and inventory management.
Use cases for VIoT-Flex MFF2 SIM include:
- Agriculture for precision farming
- Logistics to track and manage devices or equipment
- Security and surveillance to maintain secure, real-time surveillance operations
- Smart peripheral deployments for reliable connectivity and management
- Smart energy and utilities for remote asset management and data insights
Want to learn more about VIoT-Flex MFF2 SIM for devices requiring a robust eSIM solution? Get details here.
For OEMs, eSIMs maximize the value of cellular and add value to smart solutions, easier device management, and automatic network switching to the strongest carrier.
Remote Asset Management with One SIM is the Future
Managing multiple carrier SIMs is an outdated solution for remote asset management, which are mostly in the middle of nowhere. Not to be a negative nelly, but when a carrier goes down, help doesn’t come fast enough.
Network and IT engineers overseeing thousands of devices are segmented into multiple vendor dashboards. There is no single pane of glass. Manual accounting of these devices is time intensive. Customers suffer. This is one reason we’re not fans of multiple VPNs, which increase complexity and risk. Our ethos is to simplify. Thus, our one SIM solution. Simple.
In the era of artificial intelligence (AI), data is CEO and chairman of the board. Predictive analytics gives way to OT networks delivering more complex data sets required by generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). Two-way data leads to enabling action – from turning on or off a pump to locking or unlocking a door.
In short, IIoT connectivity needs to be “always on.”
When a carrier doesn’t kick in (which, as we all know, happens) for a SIM or a SIM card gets damaged due to extreme environmental conditions, unexpected downtime follows. Security, too, comes down to the humble SIM card. Cyber criminals are also getting smarter. Thousands of SIMs become thousands of viable entry points into a network (like when cybercriminals stole personal data via a ritzy casino’s fish tank thermometer in 2017).
In our many conversations with industrial users around the world, we’ve found that SIM technology sits in the blind spot for industrial users. We get it. It isn’t as shiny and interesting as the latest sensors or data security solution. It isn’t even a solution that has reached end of life. You can still operate with a full deck of SIMs in your hands.
The results from using individual SIM cards with multiple carriers, which has been the norm for years, can be catastrophic. Unreliable access to mission critical data poses big risks, putting industrial leaders in a reactive position. Not good.
So, if remote assets matter to you, explore consolidating many SIMs into one multi-carrier SIM.
Borderless IIoT Data Transportation
VIoT-Flex is just one part of FreeWave’s mission to simplify IIoT solutions. A single SIM is like a time machine and “easy button” all rolled into one for customers (and who doesn’t want more time and ease!). We believe intelligent IIoT allows systems integrators, partners, and industrial companies to tap into the power of data anywhere, anytime. Start simplifying your IoT connectivity today.
