MWC 2023: Why the time is now for Massive IoT

Last updated: 28 February 2023

In just 2 years’ time it is estimated that there will be around 3.4 billion devices that will feature an embedded SIM (eSIM). We’ve spoken at length before about the benefits of eSIM technology, which will be a large focus for us at this year’s MWC – but one area we’re going to look at more closely in this blog is Massive IoT.

Just how massive is Massive IoT?

Think IoT, but on an unprecedented scale.

Combining the power of a multitude of sensors, connectivity, and data processing – Massive IoT creates new innovative ways to solve problems. Whether it’s the ability to monitor water quality, or detecting when a shipment is on its way, or monitoring temperatures in smart buildings – the opportunities are endless.

Because of this, the GSMA last year announced new standards for loT deployments; standards that the rest of the industry is rushing to meet.

How can eSIMs help?

eSIM (embedded SIM) technology is increasing across both consumer and industrial IoT markets, offering a range of benefits including seamless remote connectivity and super-efficient subscription management over the entire product lifecycle.

These are highly valuable attributes for the fast-growing sector of cellular loT deployments and especially Massive IoT, such as smart meters.

Introducing Thales Adaptive Connect

To deliver on the promise of flexible eSIM connectivity, Thales has implemented a unique new solution. Relying on the new GSMA eSIM standards SGP.31 designed for massive IoT, Thales Adaptive Connect (TAC) enables the remote connectivity management of an entire fleet of IoT devices. Thales is the first player in the market to meet this new industry standard set by the GSMA.

It’s designed for global connectivity service providers and mobile network operators that want to offer IoT service providers a simple way to deploy cellular connectivity for their devices and services.

With TAC, an loT service provider can easily push subscriptions to a fleet of eSIM enabled IoT devices. This is done as and when they are deployed in the field, and across any number of countries. The service is controlled by the service providers fleet manager – which is also typically used to remotely manage device configuration, activation and firmware updates. The Thales Adaptive Connect server then sends this information to the eSIM.

TAC delivers value throughout the whole IoT value chain. By supporting IoT service providers, TAC puts global network providers and mobile networks operators at the heart of the IoT ecosystem. Benefits include greater differentiation, and the ability to provide the fastest and most efficient connectivity offer to IoT service providers.

Just this week we announced our recent partnership with Sequans to bring to market a new integrated SIM solution that supports the latest GSMA SCP.31/32 eSIM IoT specifications that TAC leverages. The new standards implemented will leverage industry experience to bring a more advanced remote SIM provisioning architecture that is fully suitable for any IoT device. This gives service providers and OEMs more flexibility to manage manufacturing, deployment, and operations of massive fleets of IoT devices without heavy investment.

Streamlining deployment with Instant Connect

With the demand for cellular IoT growing fast, enterprises also need to scale up their capabilities by leveraging eSIM technology to streamline IoT deployment. Thales Instant Connect removes these challenges with a single and generic subscription provisioning solution that supports all IoT devices.

By providing cellular connectivity during the first switch-on, the device can download the final mobile subscription from a network operator once it has been deployed.

  • For IoT devices, Thales Instant Connect allows enterprises to wait until a device has been deployed before deciding which mobile network operator to use.
  • For consumer devices, it enables a straightforward user experience to access cellular connectivity, independent of either Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Furthermore, thanks to Thales’ innovation, Thales Instant Connect provides out-of-the-box connectivity without the need to preload a mobile subscription during device manufacturing.

The service is offered via a pay-per-use pricing model – the enterprise pays only when the device has used the service. Therefore, if many months elapse between the device being manufactured and deployed, there is no service charge because the connectivity has not been used.

The best part? The enterprise pays the same fee regardless of the device’s geographical location.

This model is an advantage over alternative provisioning connectivity services, which typically include roaming charges plus a monthly fee for every device with a subscription.

Harness the power of Massive IoT

Want to hear more about how to harness the power of Massive IoT? Come by the Thales booth at Mobile World Congress (Hall 2, Stand 2J30) for the latest in trusted mobile and IoT solutions.

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