Navigating IoT Connectivity Services

For most businesses one network provider on their own will not have the coverage needed to deploy devices in multiple markets. Even large, traditional MNOs rely on roaming agreements to provide coverage outside of their home networks. You’ll want to ask how they have set up their access to partner networks.

•  Do they have direct network access partnerships? This will make a difference in the consistency and control your provider (and you) has across all of your networks, for example ensuring permanent roaming agreements and technology commitments that you can rely on.

•  When there is a coverage issue, is your supplier a reseller, operator, or carrier who can troubleshoot directly with other network providers? Direct access partnerships allows a provider visibility into all partner networks which enables troubleshooting and faster resolution of connectivity issues.

You’ll also want network redundancy in every country to ensure your devices can switch to a backup network if your primary network goes down, increasing your overall uptime. 

If you have devices that cross borders, you’ll want to make sure you don’t lose connectivity or end up with a higher-than-expected invoice for roaming outside of your primary network. Does your connectivity provider provide coverage on demand and flexible coverage plans or is it only a fixed term contract? For example, can you activate a device in one region, deactivate it remotely, and then activate it in another region? 

Over time, your business needs and/or your provider’s coverage map may change. Ideally, your devices should be able to automatically access additional coverage, networks and technologies with over the air (OTA) updates via an eUICC standard eSIM.

 

IoT businesses increasingly want more control over their technology, including connectivity coverage. There are many different cellular technologies available: 4G LTE, LTE-M, NB-IoT, and more. You can’t assume that having access to a carrier’s network means you’ll have access to every radio access network of that carrier. For example, let’s say a provider does have LTE-M, 4G, and 5G coverage in Germany, will you have access to each of those networks? Can you isolate the network types that are compatible with your device, or will your devices still attempt to connect to 4G and 5G service by default, when they’re only compatible with LTE-M? 

This is why it’s important to work with an IoT experienced provider that’s investing in new IoT.specific network partnerships to provide access to IoT network technology like NB-IoT over satellite and LTE-M. So if your IoT solution relies on LTE-M coverage and you have customers in Germany, you can get LTE-M coverage in Germany—a provider that only offers 4G or 5G coverage in Germany won’t do you any good, no matter how good that coverage is. 

Many connectivity providers give you little control over which carriers your devices connect to. For example, due to your provider’s agreements with operators, your devices may always connect to Carrier A when it’s available, even if Carrier B or Carrier C has a stronger signal. This is called network steering. Look for providers that offer agnostic, multi-carrier coverage so you can prioritize connectivity for your business versus theirs.

In cellular IoT, SIMs remain in the field for years. Here’s what you should consider about your provider’s SIM lifecycle management capabilities:

• How does your provider help you adapt as MNOs repurpose network infrastructure, sunset older technologies, or discontinue their service? 

• Can they ensure interoperability with future IoT devices and applications? 

• Can you use a single management portal for automated global provisioning, activation, configuration, and deactivation of SIMs, or will you have to log into and manage SIMs from multiple providers via multiple management portals? 

• Can you configure, provision, and activate devices automatically in near-real time or does this process require manual interactions that take days or even weeks? Are you able to buy SIMs and only pay for them once you activate them? Are you able to suspend and reactivate them as your business requires? 

• Does the management platform scale for multiple geographies, use cases, and volumes, with a consistent set of services and features? 

• Can you customize network selection for your specific use case and hyperlocal region, ensuring devices have the best possible connectivity?

 
• Will crossing borders require new SIMs or can connectivity be switched to a new provider via over the air updates? 

How your provider enables you to configure and control your devices will directly affect your operations. Here’s what to consider: 

•  Does the provider enable VPN services for remote access for device management? How long does it take to provision and is there an additional fee? 

•  Is real-time device location tracking available? 

•  Do they have batch management capabilities to automatically configure every device that will use the same settings, whether there are hundreds or hundreds of thousands of them? 

•  Can you control if your device can access certain radio access networks like 2G or 5G?

As your business grows, more individuals will need access to your connectivity data. Here’s what you’ll want to consider: 

•  Does the provider offer hierarchical accounts with distinct entities, sub accounts, users, access, billing, currencies? 

•  Is modern authentication and SSO offered? 

• Do they offer flexible options for data plans and give you the ability to create multiple data plans based on business needs? 

Your connectivity data becomes far more useful when your provider gives you tools to organize it in meaningful, relevant ways. Here’s what to consider when it comes to reporting and analytics: 

•  Do you have full visibility into network level events across all of your networks with granular data on each carrier, every connection and disconnection, network type, device data usage, warning and error events you need to optimize and control your connectivity and uptime? 

•  Will you have real-time data usage analytics across all of your networks? 

•  Do they have timesaving out-of-the-box reports available to show data usage by device, timeframe, and geography, as well as visualizations and dashboards to make insights easier to consume and share across the organization? 

The world of IoT is constantly evolving—and your connectivity provider should be, too. Here’s what to consider about their investment in innovation: 

•  Are they making continuous improvements in ease of use? 

•  How frequently do they update their platform interfaces?

•  Do they make changes to their applications or portal in response to customer feedback? 

•  Are they delivering a modern user experience?