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.

Global Connectivity made easy

LTE-M Connectivity

Connect your devices seamlessly with emnify, boasting the most extensive global LTE-M coverage for cost-effectiveness, impressive range, and power efficiency.

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LTE-M at a glance

High-growth IoT Businesses Trust LTE-M

Extended Range

Achieve 15 dB higher sensitivity than traditional LTE, resulting in superior indoor, underground, and rural coverage.

Low Power Consumption

Benefit from features like Power Saving Mode (PSM) and Extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX), leading to extended battery life.

Low Latency

Enjoy the highest data rate among LPWAN technologies, perfect for mission-critical applications and flexible device use cases.

Reduce Your Device Costs

With LTE-M, experience a 30% reduction in LTE module costs thanks to decreased bandwidth use and less complex radio signal processing.

60 Days, All Features, One Platform

Take advantage of our free test kit, which includes a SIM card, a prepaid data plan, and a 60-day free trial of emnify’s platform.

emnify’s LTE-M Coverage

We currently provide multi-network LTE-M connectivity in 51 countries across five continents with our global IoT SIM. Choose from three service levels (expected, validated, and guaranteed coverage*) depending on your deployment location, and let us advise you on network coverage, quality, and availability for your IoT project.

Footnote:* Service Level / Coverage Status Definition: Expected: LTE-M roaming is theoretically possible based on standard 4G implementations of emnify's network partners. Validated: LTE-M availability is frequently tested and confirmed by emnify for this network. Guaranteed: LTE-M service is guaranteed with emnify's dedicated roaming agreements.** All coverage data is provided for informational purposes only and are subjected to change. Actual service coverage, quality, and availability may vary based on factors such as network partners' technology roll-out, SIM version weather, interference, topography, and device model.

Discover the largest
LTE-M footprint for cellular IoT

Country	Network	Frequency Bands	LTE-M Coverage	PSM Availability	eDRX Availability
Algeria	ATM Mobilis	expected	8, 3, 1
Mauritius	Mahanagar (MTML)	expected	3
South Africa	Vodafone	expected
Tunisia	Tunisie Telecom	√
Uganda	MTN	expected	7

Country	Network	LTE-M Coverage	Frequency bands	PSM availability	eDRX availability
Iran	MCI	expected	1, 3
Israel & Palestine	Partner	validated	3		validated
	Cellcom	validated	28	validated
	Pelephone	validated	28	validated	validated
Japan	NTT Docomo
	SoftBank	√	1, 8	√	√
	KDDI (au)	validated	1, 18, 26	validated	validated
Singapore	Singtel	validated	3	validated	validated
South Korea	SK Telecom	expected	3, 5
South Korea	KT	expected	3
Sri Lanka	Dialog	expected
Sri Lanka	Mobitel	expected
Taiwan	FarEasTone	validated	28	validated	validated
Taiwan	Chunghwa	ü	3	√	√
Thailand	TrueMove	expected	1, 3, 8, 28, 41
Thailand	AIS	expected	8
United Arab Emirates	Etisalat	expected	20, 3, 1

Country	Network	LTE-M Coverage	Frequency bands	PSM availability	eDRX availability
Austria	T-Mobile	validated	3, 20	validated	validated
Austria	A1	√	20	√	validated
Belgium	Proximus	√	3, 20, 38	validated	validated
	Base	√	20	√	√
	Orange	√	20	validated	validated
Bulgaria	A1	expected	8
Bulgaria	Yettel	validated	3
Czech Republic	Vodafone	expected	20
	O2	validated	20
	T-Mobile	validated	20
Denmark	Hi3G	validated	20	validated	validated
	Nuuday	expected	20
	Telenor	validated	20	validated
	Telia	validated	20
Estonia	Telia	validated	3, 20
Estonia	Elisa	√	20, 3	√	√
Finland	Telia	validated	1, 3, 7, 20
	Elisa	√	20	√	√
	DNA	validated	3, 8, 20	validated	validated
France	SFR	validated	20
France	Orange	validated	20
Germany	Telekom	validated	3, 20	validated	validated
Germany	Vodafone	√	20	√	√
Greece	Wind	validated	20	validated
Greece	Vodafone	validated	20	validated
Hungary	T-Mobile	validated	20	validated
Hungary	Vodafone	validated	20	validated	validated
Iceland	Vodafone	validated	20
	SIMINN	√	28,3	√	√
	Nova	√	20	validated	validated
Ireland	3	validated	20
Italy	Vodafone	validated	20	validated	validated
Jersey (UK Territory)	Jersey Telecom (JT)	expected	3
Latvia	LMT	√	20	√	√
Liechtenstein	FL1	validated	20	validated
Lithuania	Bite	expected
	Telia	validated	8
	Tele2	expected	8
Luxembourg	Post	√	20	√	√
Monaco	Monaco Telecom	expected
Netherlands	KPN	√	20	√	√
Netherlands	Vodafone (Ziggo)	√	20	√	√
Norway	Telenor	validated	20, 8
Norway	Telia	validated	3, 20
Poland	Orange	validated	20, 3
Portugal	Vodafone	validated	20
Portugal	MEO	validated	20
Romania	Vodafone	validated	20
Romania	Orange	√	3
Serbia	A1	validated	20	validated	validated
Slovenia	Orange	validated	20
Slovenia	A1	√	3, 20	√	√
Spain	Vodafone	validated	20
	Movistar	validated	7, 3
	Orange	validated	3, 20	validated	validated
Sweden	Tele2	validated	20
	Telenor	validated	20
	Telia	validated	20
Switzerland	Swisscom	√	20, 3, 1, 7, 8	√	√
Switzerland	Sunrise	validated	3, 20	validated	validated
Turkey	Vodafone	expected
Turkey	Turkcell	validated	3, 20
United Kingdom	Vodafone	validated	20
United Kingdom	O2	√	20	√	√

Country	Network	LTE-M Coverage	Frequency bands	PSM availability	eDRX availability
Canada	Videotron	validated	4, 12, 13
	Rogers Wireless	validated	4, 5, 12
	TELUS	√	12	√	√
Mexico	Movistar	validated	2, 4	validated	validated
Mexico	Radiomovil Dipsa (Telcel)	validated	1, 4, 7	validated	validated
United States	AT&T	√	12, 17, 4, 2	validated	validated
United States	T-Mobile	√	2, 4, 12	√

Country	Network	LTE-M Coverage	Frequency bands	PSM availability	eDRX availability
Argentina	Claro	validated	28
Argentina	Movistar	validated	4, 28
Brazil	Vivo	validated	3, 28
Brazil	Claro	validated	3, 28
Chile	Claro	validated	28	validated	validated
Colombia	Movistar	√	5	√	√
Costa Rica	Claro	√	3
Costa Rica	Liberty	expected	3
Ecuador	Movistar	validated	2
El Salvador	Claro	expected
Guatemala	Claro	expected	2
Honduras	Claro	√	4	validated
Nicaragua	Claro	expected	4
Nicaragua	Movistar	expected	9
Peru	Entel	expected
Peru	Movistar	expected	4
Puerto Rico	Claro	expected	4, 10
Uruguay	Movistar	√	28	√	√
	Antel	validated	28	validated	validated
	Claro	validated	28

Country	Network	LTE-M Coverage	Frequency bands	PSM availability	eDRX availability
Australia	Vodafone	expected
Australia	Telstra	validated	28	validated	validated
New Zealand	Spark	√	3, 28
New Zealand	Vodafone	expected	28

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Technology that enables devices to connect and communicate at scale.

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Global M2M Connectivity for You

Find out more about our IoT Solution

Global IoT Coverage

The emnify IoT SuperNetwork offers all of the major cellular technologies, including 2G, 3G, 4G-LTE, LTE-M, and NB-IoT.

NB-IoT Coverage

Connect large numbers of low-cost IoT devices.

Satellite IoT Coverage

The world’s first cloud-native platform offering converged cellular and satellite coverage from one SIM.

IoT Roaming

Roaming is essential for maintaining worldwide device connections.

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