What is an IoT SIM card?

IoT – or M2M – SIM cards provide access to cellular networks to connect devices – with a management platform to monitor and operate device connections at scale. If you want two or more ‘Things’ (connected devices) to communicate with each other, then you need a data connection. In most cases, a standard cellular mobile SIM (or consumer SIM) won’t cut it.

How is a consumer SIM different from an IoT M2M SIM?

Consumer SIMs are bound to one local network operator and impose high roaming costs for data connections in foreign countries or outside a common tariff zone. IoT SIMs meanwhile give your devices access to multiple networks per country, a single tariff plan for global use, and flexible, usage-based contract terms. IoT SIMs also have more memory, durability and a longer lifespan than consumer SIMs. IoT SIMs usually come with a web-based platform for remote SIM and connectivity management. They come in multiple form factors like the industrial-grade or MFF2 for durability against extreme environments – heat, corrosion, vibration. Check out our detailed article on the differences between a consumer SIM and an IoT M2M SIM.

How much does an IoT SIM card cost?

The price can start from less than EUR 2 for a commercial-grade EMnify IoT SIM and less than EUR 3 for an industrial-grade EMnify IoT SIM depending on your order volume. A discount automatically applies as more SIM cards are purchased within an order. New users can get three EMnify IoT SIM cards for free when signing up for an evaluation. Try it out for yourself, at no cost, for a 60-day trial. Visit EMnify Pricing Page to learn more.

How do I activate my IoT SIM card?

Activating an IoT SIM card is straightforward and usually only involves a few simple steps. Often there is more than one way to activate a SIM – for example, either through a connectivity management portal, API or sometimes even a no-code solution. IoT SIM cards can be registered and activated individually or in bulk – significantly speeding things up when connecting a large fleet of devices.

What is factory test mode?

You also have an option to enable factory test mode where your devices are pre-activated and allocated with a fixed amount of free data traffic. During factory test mode, there is no SIM hosting fees and data charges, allowing you to test device connections during QA processes and ship preactivated devices to customers without incurring connectivity costs. Once your devices use up the free data after being deployed, the EMnify SIM cards automatically switch to “active”, and only then your monthly billing starts. There is no need to activate your SIM cards when using factory test mode.

How can I monitor the performance of my SIM cards?

A connectivity management portal will typically provide access to real-time monitoring of all connected devices, tracking things like connection status, data usage and cost. The EMnify Portal also provides tools like connectivity reset and network blocklist that let you quickly troubleshoot connection issues and reduce Tier-II support tickets. If you prefer monitoring device connectivity and data consumption directly from your existing operational dashboards and application, the EMnify Data Streamer lets you do so. Learn more about Data Streamer or view our Integration guides for detailed instructions

eSIM is a SIM type that allows you to change an operator profile Over-the-Air (OTA) with remote SIM provisioning capability. The term eSIM could also be interchangeably used to indicate an MFF2 SIM type that gets soldered directly into a cellular device.

How do I swap carriers/Can I choose whichever carriers I want?

The EMnify SIM card uses multi-IMSI approach and automatically selects the best-quality network at your device location. In cases where you want to select a specific operator for your devices, the network blocklist function allows you to proactively switch to your preferred network.

Does EMnify IoT SIM support Narrowband-IoT and LTE-M?

Yes. EMnify IoT SIM supports multiple cellular technologies including LTE-M and NB-IoT. Visit our LTE-M coverage page and NB-IoT coverage page to find out where your devices can connect via these two technologies using the EMnify SIM.

.Block-subheading, .Block-heading, .Block-heading h1, .Block-body, .Block-preamble, .Block-action, .Block-arrow, .Block-image { opacity: 1 !important; transform: translateY(0) !important; }

emnify Advanced eSIM (IoT eSIM/SGP.32)

The last SIM card
you’ll ever need

Let's talk

Built for instant-on connectivity, true provider independence, and structural resilience

Made possible by:

Our standard global operational profile (as available with all SIMs)
A bootstrap profile ensuring devices connect right from the factory (no vendor lock-in)
A fallback profile to guarantee business continuity if your primary operator fails
Remote profile management from our platform or API (bring your own connectivity)

IoT eSIM/SGP.32

emnify Advanced eSIM

Instant-on Connectivity, true provider independence

and operational resilience.

Instant-on Connectivity

Embed connectivity at source

Ship your devices with a pre-installed bootstrap profile that connects at first power-on and enables remote configuration from day one.

No regional SIM variants. No manual activation. No post-production handling.

Connectivity is live from the factory and ready to be configured online, including provider selection.

One SKU. Global from day one

The emnify bootstrap profile provides global connectivity from first power-on, enabling devices to come online anywhere.

Deploy once. Connect globally and when required, localize through remote profile management.

True Provider Independence

Change providers. Not hardware

Change providers. Not hardware.Connectivity decisions should not be locked in at manufacturing.

With emnify’s eIM and API, you can download and manage third-party operator profiles at any time.

Enable, disable, delete, or switch profiles across entire fleets without SIM swaps or site visits.Provider flexibility becomes a software decision.

Not all SGP.32 looks the same

Not all SGP.32 implementations are equal. Some restrict profile switching within closed operator eco-systems, limiting real provider choice.

emnify supports cross-provider profile management through its eIM, while maintaining a single global operational foundation through The SuperNetwork.

You gain provider flexibility without managing multiple connectivity platforms. One operational backbone. with the freedom to change when required.

Operational Resilience

Continuity built in from the SIM level

When connectivity becomes revenue-critical infrastructure, resilience must be designed in.

With emnify Advanced IoT eSIM, multiple operator profiles can be securely stored on a single eUICC.

A fallback profile can be configured via the emnify portal and activated without physical intervention.If a primary profile fails due to technical, commercial, or operational disruption, devices can revert and remain connected.

Fallback

Whether emnify is your primary profile or a secondary operator, you can define a fallback profile that switches automatically if the active profile fails.

Fallback logic is configured through eIM and executed directly on the eUICC, keeping devices online without additional hardware or manual intervention.Uptime is protected by design.

So when does Advanced eSIM
make sense for your business?

1. You need factory-read connectivity

If you’re an OEM, you can ship devices with an emnify bootstrap profile pre-installed at production.

Devices connect instantly from first power-on. Your customer simply downloads their preferred local profile when needed.

This removes SIM logistics from your supply chain and improves the first-time customer experience.

2. Devices operate in multiple regions

If your connected devices business is growing to new markets you can simply add new local operators to emnify's Advanced eSIM via the emnify portal.

No SIM swaps or site visits required.

Connectivity becomes a software decision, not a field operation.

3. Uptime is critical to your operations

When uptime is critical, a fallback option becomes a necessity.

Whether emnify is your primary or secondary provider, you can define a fallback profile on the same SIM. If the active profile fails, switching happens automatically.

How the emnify IoT Advanced eSIM works:

emnify-process-eSIM-SGP.32-1

Learn all of the technical specs of our SGP.32 solution.

emnify-data-sheet-image

Our eSIM Portfolio

Consumer eSIM (SGP.22)

Remote provisioning (eUICC)
Zero-touch deployments
Deployments via your MDM
(Omnissa, Jamf, Intune etc.)
emnify profile (no physical SIM required)

Advanced IoT eSIM (SGP.32)

Remote provisioning (eUICC)
Zero-touch deployments
Adding third-party operator profiles
Third party profile management (eIM)
Bootstrap/fallback & operational profiles
2FF, 3FF, 4FF, MFF2
Commercial and industrial grade SIMs available

Classic eSIM (SGP.02)

Remote provisioning (eUICC)
2FF, 3FF, 4FF, MFF2
Commercial and industrial grade SIMs available

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes emnify's Advanced eSIM is available now. Get your free test SIMs by getting in touch with us.

Generally IoT devices that support eUICC and the BIP protocol. We advise you to test the remote OTA updates with your modem and hardware. We will publish which devices we have tested shortly.

Yes, this is possible. We offer profiles that you can download on a third party IoT eUICC. Please see the third process in the above diagram on this page.

SIMs with previous eSIM standards (M2M eSIM SGP.02, Consumer eSIM SGP.22) cannot be updated to be compatible with the new standard. You will need to use IoT eSIM compatible hardware to access Advanced eSIM benefits.

When using emnify's profile as the fallback or as a bootstrap profile you will not be charged with the regular data plan costs. If the SIMs is acting as a fallback then you will only be charged a minimal fee.

emnify will provide two options:

Option A: Access all core eIM functionalities directly in the emnify portal, including profile download, enable/disable, fallback management, and troubleshooting logs.

Option B: For advanced users, emnify also offers a full eIM with extended functionality for deeper configuration and analysis.

Opposed to many other operators that have to pay recurring licenses for their platforms and IMSI resources, emnify has its own IMSI resources and developed its own cloud-native core network. This allows us to have a very competitive offer for bootstrap connectivity.

Let's get you connected!

Let's talk today about how you can benefit from emnify's Advanced IoT eSIM.

The last SIM card
you’ll ever need

Built for instant-on connectivity, true provider independence, and structural resilience

emnify Advanced eSIM