WIRELESS & IoT
How eSIM technology
is speeding up and simplifying global IoT deployments
Paul Bullock, strategic business development director atWireless Logic explores how eSIM has the potential to advance IoT applications
Paul Bullock T
o date, Internet of Things (IoT) applications have connected to cellular
networks through traditional, plastic SIM cards, which are ultimately locked into mobile network operators, even when roaming is allowed. If businesses running applications want to change network provider, they must physically swap out these traditional SIM cards. The location and nature of most IoT deployments mean this can quickly become a huge inconvenience, incurring significant time and cost. Fortunately, eSIM technology changes all that. For one, or a few devices, swapping out
SIMs to change networks may be irritating, but it hasn’t been prohibitive. However, it is potentially a logistical and commercial nightmare with large-scale deployments of connected devices. The IoT made potentially thousands of SIMs connecting from many locations a reality, and it has brought to the fore the limitations of traditional SIMs. eSIMs can be provisioned over-the-air
(OTA), which means operator profiles can be deployed at any stage during product life-
cycles – on the manufacturing line, when products are first deployed; even several years later when new and attractive commercial arrangements, or alternative operators, come onto the market. For IoT applications comprising hundreds of
thousands of SIMs, potentially deployed globally or in remote or difficult to access locations, eSIM technology is a gamechanger. It takes away the worry of connectivity for IoT project managers and application developers.
The future of IoT connectivity eSIM technology creates a digital experience, one with technical and commercial futureproofing built in. It means that companies can commit to global IoT deployments with confidence and get ahead of challenges like network sunsetting and roaming restrictions, knowing they have the insurance policy which eSIM provides. It is true that traditional SIM cards can
provide access to other networks in other countries through roaming, but the tie-in is
34 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 | ELECTRONICS TODAY
still to the incumbent mobile network operator. The business has no say over the network they connect to through roaming and, depending on the contract arrangement, they can incur roaming charges at a premium, which proves unsustainable for most IoT projects. A remotely programmed eSIM, on the other hand, can use local networks at local rates. At its core, eSIM technology helps
companies avoid single vendor lock-in, counteract permanent roaming restrictions and switch profiles for commercial, technical or locational reasons, without physically changing SIMs.
eSIM in IoT applications IoT deployments involving devices that spend two or three years in the field, are manufactured in one country then deployed in many others, and that transmit high data volumes in more than one country will benefit from eSIM technology. The eSIM cards embedded into devices on the production line can store more than one
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