IoT SIM Card Deployments in Global AgTech: A Case Study

IoT Sim cardfor AgTech
AgTech IoT SIM card Connectivity

Introduction

As Agricultural Technology grows (pun intended) in popularity around the world, connecting all of these “things” is increasingly more difficult. International implementations face many obstacles. We focus on the issues with IoT SIM card use in worldwide operations. Some of the same complications occur in single country use as well. Streamlining these deployments saves time, money & headaches. This article focuses on one such case.  We will discuss a soil moisture sensor company struggling with their multi-national deployments. We will cover their solution, their initial problem, the steps they took to remedy the situation, and the solution they chose.

The Customer’s Description

As a Start-Up, this company needed to grow fast and were sending their moisture sensors all over the world, and they had pilots currently running in 27 different countries. Their solution includes a mesh network of wireless sensors spread over the fields of a grower and all of the data aggregated in a gateway device that sends all of the data back to a server for analysis and reporting on their UI. The gateway device is a standard rugged router. It uses a 3FF global IoT SIM card powering the connection to the back end through cellular networks. The gateway required bi-directional proactive communication because they needed to reach the gateway from time to time on demand.  Their sensors test the soil every 3 hours. The total amount of data per gateway averages 72MB per month.

The Problem

They struggled with how they would put together a solution for all of these disparate countries, though. It takes time and resources to find an IoT SIM card provider in each country. Using these various providers further complicates matters because they had to manage multiple SIM management portals, multiple APNs, SKUs for each IoT SIM card provider, and several languages to deal with (English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, and German to name a few).

All of this takes time and resources. As a small company, their time really does mean money, because navigating all of the vendors, and programming their routers based on where the devices were being sent took time away from marketing and selling their solution. They estimated it took 47% of their time finding local cellular providers. Also setting up the new vendors’ APN’s and SKUs into their workflow, learning a new portal for SIM card management, etc., etc. That is all time when they could be building a strong sales funnel, meeting with new prospects, working on marketing  efforts, and so forth.  They estimated if they could focus 47% more time on these tasks, their annual revenue would grow over $1M.

What They Tried

Over the last 6 months they tried to standardize their connectivity providers to a smaller number. They thought this would solve the issues. What they discovered was that it did help, but the benefits were not sufficient. The CTO and COO still had to think about how devices needed to be configured for each country. They also had to manage multiple platforms which takes time to learn and implement different portals and the API’s each portal used (if they supported API’s). They also had different IP ranges to deal with, where a single IP range would be easier to manage because they could used a single VPN with a single IP range.

The OneSimCard IoT Sim Card Solution

OneSimCard IoT logoWe came to the table with our ears open. We heard their problems and developed a solution tailored to their particular needs. What we came up with was a single, Multi-IMSI, eUICC enabled  Global IoT SIM card. Our IoT SIM card  is used virtually anywhere in the world with a single APN. OneSimCard IoT covers 200+ countries and territories.  A single APN means they are able to set-up all of their devices the same, regardless of the device’s destination.

We also provided the client a single private static IP range large enough to support all of their IoT SIM card deployments for the foreseeable future. We recommended an OpenVPN solution for their bidirectional proactive communication to their cellular gateways. Because it only allows one concurrent user, OpenVPN is a low cost alternative to our IPSec VPN solution. It provides the communication this client needed, though.

The client also benefited from the use of our OSCAR SIM management Portal.  OSCAR is built in-house from the ground up. When a customer wants to make a change, we make that change quickly. This flexibility helps our clients by catering to their specific requirements without over-complicating the experience. OneSimCard IoT’s portal is cloud based and has mobile apps available on Google Play as well as Apple’s App Store. We also provide a full set of API’s to our Portal. This allowed the client to tie their portal to ours with only one set of API’s.

The Result

The benefit was immediate. Streamlining to a single provider gave the client back their valuable time. They now can concentrate more time and resources on revenue producing activities. In the first month since the change to OneSimCard IoT, they were able to implement 20% more solutions. They also were able to add 25% more new opportunities into their sales funnel. If 5% of these prospects close, this adds $1.5M in annual revenue.

If you have an AgTech solution, or any other IoT solution that needs connectivity, contact us. Our IoT experts will be happy to listen to your requirements and develop a solution just for you. The best way to reach is is by email sales@onesimcard.com. You can also fill out our contact form, and we will be in touch!

New Features Added to M2M SIM Card OSCAR Platform

New SIM Search Filter Added for SIMs with IMEI Lock

An M2M Sim card client requested to search for all M2M SIM cards with the IMEI lock enabled. With this update, M2M SIM cards with the IMEI lock engaged are now quickly identified. Many devices can be changed because the M2M SIM cards with the lock can be unlocked. This was particularity important for this client moving IoT SIMs from older 3G devices to their new 4G devices. Once the SIMs that had the lock were identified there is now a new bulk operation to remove the IMEI lock.

imei lock filter.jpg
M2M SIM card filter list

 

New Bulk Operation Added to Remove IMEI Lock

In concert with the above IoT Sim card filter, we added a new bulk operation to remove IMEI locks on many SIMs at once. This additional functionality makes the process of SIM card IMEI locks much faster because the administrator no longer has to go in the the SIM settings for each SIM to remove the lock. If you have thousands of M2M SIM cards, this was very time consuming. An administrator can now perform this function to many M2M SIM cards at once.

Bulk operations for M2M SIM card

Contact Us!

We welcome feedback! If you have any feedback on our IoT SIM card OSCAR Platform, please send us a note. You can reach us at feeback@onesimcard.com.

If you would like to speak with one of our M2M SIM Card experts, please reach out to us at Sales@onesimcard.com. You can also submit a custom quote request on our site. We will develop a solution specific to your requirements.

New API & New IoT Sim Card

New API Command Available for SIM Card Reset

We continue to listen to our IoT clients and their requests for improvements to our OSCAR IoT SIM Card Management Portal. There is now an API command for both Pooled and PAYG accounts, allowing a SIM reset. A SIM card reset takes the IoT SIM card off the network and allows it to re-register. Before now, this tool was only available on the Portal in the Service tab. There are many customers who prefer to manage most of the tools for their global IoT SIM Cards off the OSCAR management portal. This new API will help with initial troubleshooting of the IoT SIM.

New SIM Card Type Being Launched

For customers using the TCNS IoT SIM card type, you will start to see orders being filled with a new IoT SIM card named “TCNS – E”. This SIM will give you the same outstanding service you are used to, & will add some network operators. The most notable change is in Canada where we are adding Telus and Bell. Now all three major networks in Canada are available. There are also many other countries coming to this Multi-IMSI TCSN-E IoT SIM card. This is great news as we continue to grow our global IoT SIM card footprint and build more network redundancy!

If you have any questions about these enhancements to our IoT SIM card management portal, OSCAR, or any other suggestions or comments, please reach out to feedback@onesimcard.com.

2 Updates to the OSCAR IoT SIM Management Portal

New API Command Available for Updating User Name and Device Fields

We added a new API command for both Pooled and PAYG accounts This command will allow you to update the User Name and Device fields for your IoT SIM Cards in the OSCAR portal. This is especially useful when you are using your own portal to activate IoT SIMs & include the User Name (nickname). The User Name & Device Type are now populated to our OSCAR portal automatically through API. Before now, these fields could only  be updated on the Portal in separate tabs. Automating this process is a great time-saver!

New Feature in the OSCAR Portal Allows for Updating/Making Changes to up to 200 SIMs at a Time

Before this update, the maximum number of SIMs that can be displayed on the SIM card page was 100. You could select up to all 100 and perform a bulk operation on these SIMs.  Also, these SIMs had to be in certain logical order (sorted by SIM #, ICCID, Status, etc.). If you wanted to work on SIM cards that were not consecutive in this logical order, or only some of those SIMs but not all, you needed to select (or deselect) only those which you want to work on. Last month, we added functionality to upload a CSV file into the portal with the SIM card numbers on which you want to work. You will see this file upload option at the top of the SIM card page. This upload tool allows you to load a CSV file with up to 200 SIM cards at a time. Now you can work on more SIMs at once, and choose the SIMs you on which you want to work based on the file you uploaded (maybe it was a report you ran, etc.).

If you have any questions on these new functions or any other questions on the OSCAR IoT SIM card management portal, please reach out to our IoT experts at Sales@OneSimCard.com.

Why IP Filtering Is Important for Security

When you put together an IoT solution the intention is always to route data traffic to where you want, but this isn’t always ensured. Devices and IoT SIM cards aren’t inherently secured and we have written numerous articles on ways to lock your IoT solution down. Today we want to discuss the best way to ensure that data can only go where you expect using IP Filtering on your IoT SIM card.

IP Filtering (or IP Whitelisting) is a method whereby you identify only those IP addresses where data can travel. This is critical because IoT SIM cards and devices tend to be open to send data anywhere and without filtering at the IoT SIM card level, devices can be hacked to send data to other IP addresses other than where you want the traffic to go. 

OneSimCard has the ability to filter the IP addresses where our IoT SIM cards are able to send data. This is accomplished by whitelisting the IP addresses where you want data traffic to end up. Our clients send us these trusted IP addresses and we set these rules up in our Network server to only allow he IoT SIM cards to send traffic to these addresses. If the IoT device attempts to send traffic to any other address, it will fail because we have blocked that IP address by rule.

Use cases for IP Filtering are numerous. Here are just a few examples:

  • IoT SIMs in Hotspots for employees to limit the IP addresses where the employee can navigate using the company asset (not exactly IoT, but the SIM doesn’t know that!);
  • SIMs in ATM’s and credit card processing where banking information is transmitted and must be secure and data traffic must be limited;
  • Alarms and security products like cameras because, especially with cameras, only you want to have this data, and leakage to other IP addresses can be expensive;
  • Any IoT solution which counts on very small data quantities because data leakage can lead to overage and higher costs.

If you would like to learn more about our IP Filtering solution for IoT SIM cards and if this is something that makes sense for your organization, please reach out to sales@onesimcard.com and one of our IOT experts will be glad to talk this through with you.

Securing Your IoT Deployment by Replacing Public Static IP’s

Securing Your IoT Deployment
Securing Your IoT Deployment

Security is on top of mind for every stakeholder of IoT device deployments and discussions of the best way to secure data is ongoing and constantly evolving. We are regularly consulted on how to harden IoT device data specifically related to IoT SIM cards and data transfer. The goal of this article is to share best practices we have learned over the many years we have been dealing with this question particularly related to the risk of Public Static IP’s and how to mitigate this risk.

Most devices that are deployed with IoT SIM cards deliver data unidirectionally by sending data from the device to your server based on time interval or event triggers and no reply/response is required from the server back to the device, or bidirectionally sending data to and receiving data from the IoT device. This bidirectional communication is where we will concentrate.

Bidirectional data transfer without using Static IPs is typically accomplished using 2 distinct methods:

  1. Polling – this is accomplished by the IoT device initiating communication with your server using protocols like HTTP to request information from the server. Your server can then capture the IP address of the IoT SIM and send its response back to the device using this now known dynamic IP address. This works well for cases when the IoT device is able to initiate communication, or “poll,” typically based on time intervals or if a certain event triggers this communication.
  2. Socket based – where the device maintains an open connection with your server using protocols such as MQTT. The persistent, open connection allows both the IoT device and your server to communicate with each other independently from one another. Unlike polling, neither the device nor the server relies on the other to initiate communication.

While these examples of bidirectional communication are viable, they do have significant drawbacks:

  • Polling relies on the IoT device to initiate communication with the server and this, as previously mentioned, is based on time or event triggers which don’t allow for you to connect with the IoT device whenever you want; you have to wait for the device to initiate and this could be too long of a period of time.
  • Socket based communication relies on the persistent connection which for a number of reasons could get interrupted. If the connection is interrupted, then you must wait for the device to open another connection because the dynamic IP address of the IoT SIM card could have changed and there is no way of knowing the new IP address for the IoT SIM card.
  • Not all devices support these types of communication protocols and this limits your choices when choosing IoT devices for your project.

Because of these considerable drawbacks, enterprises use Static IPs on IoT SIM cards for much more reliable bidirectional communication. Static IPs allow you to communicate with the IoT device at any time because, by definition, you always know the IP address of the SIM card. There are two types of Static IPs, Public and Private. We are going to talk about replacing Public Static IPs with Private Static IPs because of the security and cost concerns with Public Static IPs.

First, it is important to understand a bit more about Public Static IPs.

 

Public Static IPs

IoT SIM cards with Public Static IPs have been used for IoT deployments for bidirectional communication between IoT devices and servers for many years. These static IPs allow you to proactively reach out to a remote IoT device in the field at any time using the known IP address. Because these are Public IP addresses, you can communicate with your devices from any machine which, on first blush, seems like a handy solution. This access raises an enormous security concern though. By definition, these IPs are addressable to any machine on the public internet, which forces organizations to implement ancillary security methods like rotating passwords, whitelisting incoming connections and turning off services which aren’t being used. This security concern also extends to the server to which the IoT device connects, because that server also needs to be publicly available. Here is a diagram of this design:

Public Static IPs
Security Flaws of Public Static IPs

As you can see, this design is inherently flawed from a security standpoint because the use of publicly accessible IPs exposes your deployment to intrusion by hackers from anywhere in the world.

Security isn’t the only concern when using IoT SIM cards with Public IPs, though. Cost is another consideration. Just like Real Estate, there is a finite number of Public IPs available. This drives the cost of Public Static IPs higher and it takes time to deploy these Public IPs from the network carriers. Cost and time are major hindrances to effective IoT device deployment.

 

IoT SIM cards with Private Static IPs – The Solution to Replace Public Static IPs

The other method to bidirectional communication is to deploy Private Static IPs on your IoT SIM cards. Just like Public Static IPs, Private Static IPs allow you to always know the address of your device and access the device at any time. However, IoT Sim cards with Private Static IPs do not allow public access to the IoT device because only devices or servers on the private network are allowed to communicate with the devices within the network. It is possible, if necessary, to send data from the IoT device to a place on the public internet (external site) but proactive communication to the IoT SIM card can only be initiated from within the private network. We create this private network in 2 ways.

  1. Peer to Peer communication. This method uses an IoT SIM card with Private Static IP in your IoT device and another IoT SIM card either in a router behind your firewall, or in another IoT device if the devices need to communicate with each other. Peer to Peer communication is typically used when small amounts of data is being used because you are essentially doubling your cellular data consumption because the IoT SIM card on your server is acting as the data connection rather than traditional ISPs. This can be expensive if large amounts of data are being transferred, and;
  2. VPN connection. VPN (IPsec or OpenVPN) is a much more common method to create the connection to the IoT SIM card with Private Static IP. The way this works is a VPN connection is made from your server to our server which, by rule, is connected to all of our IoT SIM cards. This tunnel communicates securely to your IoT devices because the traffic is encrypted end to end and all traffic is kept within this secure tunnel. This is by far the most secure and cost-effective way to maintain bidirectional communication with your IoT devices.

Below are diagrams demonstrating Peer to Peer and VPN connections with Private Static IPs:

Peer to Peer Connection:

Peer to Peer Connection

VPN Connection with Private Static IPs:

VPN Connection with Private Static IPs

Clearly, using Private Static IPs on IoT SIM cards is a much more elegant and secure way to communicate. This setup will allow reliable, cost-effective bidirectional communication between your servers and your IoT devices and it reduces the need for further hardening which is required when using Public Static IPs.

If you would like to speak with one of our IoT experts, please reach out to us anytime at sales@onesimcard.com.

Why Flexible Data Plans Are Critical for IoT Deployments

Not All IoT SIM Card Deployments Are Equal. Why Treat Them as Such?

Flexible Data Plans
Using Flexible Data Plans

Every day we are reminded that there is no “average” IoT project because of the many unique requests we receive for our connectivity solutions. There are as many different projects as anyone can dream of, literally, and each project has its own idiosyncrasies, and therefore have distinctive requirements from their IoT SIM card connectivity provider. These requirements and need for flexibility/customization is most often seen in the data plan consumption model(s) for the project. 

There are several ways that data plans can be customized/flexible. They include:

  • Pooled versus Pay-As-You-Go (PAYG) plan models
  • One-time payment/use (think disposable SIMs)
  • Prepaid versus Postpaid
  • Unusually sized data plans
  • Plans for testing at manufacturer before full activation
  • Limiting the countries in which the IoT SIM can operate
  • Limiting the amount of Data an IoT SIM can consume
  • Many other customizations

For the purposes of this article, we will concentrate on the first of this list, Pooled Vs. PAYG plan models.

Years ago, all plans were essentially PAYG. Each SIM card had their own plan and consumed its own data, or they were simply charged be MB for the data they used. These plans are almost always Prepaid. Then Pooled data was introduced where all of the SIMs on an account share a “pool” of data. This type of plan is designed for a scenario where there are some SIM cards that use more data and others use less data. So long as the overall data consumption on the account doesn’t exceed the amount of the data pool, then there are no “overage” charges and costs are very consistent and predictable. So which plan is the “right” plan for your project? To answer this question, let’s look at the pro’s and con’s of each plan type, and some typical use cases for each type of plan.  

PAYG plans are excellent for projects where each SIM card will use much different amounts of data, and/or have different use cases (could be multiple projects on a single account). This offers a lot of flexibility because each SIM can have a different plan, or no plan at all and simply pay a per MB rate. Another plus to each SIM card having its own plan is in global deployments where there are some countries where the rates are dramatically higher than other countries. Having the flexibility to assign each SIM a separate plan means you are able to get the best price for the SIMs in countries with low rates and not be “forced” into paying a higher tariff based on the more expensive countries where SIMs are needed. 

PAYG plans are typically used in low data consumption projects like Asset Tracking, where the device may only report a GPS location every few hours, or not at all if they aren’t deployed, or in the middle of the ocean. There could be other SIMs on these types of accounts that are reporting more often and maybe reporting more information like temperature, humidity, etc. which drive up data consumption. These IoT SIM cards will need other plans to take into account the different data usage.

Another solution type that may benefit from PAYG data plans is Vehicle Tracking/Telematics. The reason why this type of solution benefits from PAYG plans is there are sometimes vast differences in the amount of data needed between devices, depending on the use of the vehicles being tracked and the type of data being collected from the vehicles. We say “may benefit” because there are a lot of cases where the data is fairly static and PAYG may not be the right plan type.

The cons of a PAYG plan are that the plans tend to be more “cookie-cutter” like 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, etc. MB plans and the plans tend to be more expensive than Pooled data plans, especially on the lower data consumption plans; the effective per MB cost is higher than Pooled plans of similar sizes. PAYG plans also usually have “monthly minimum revenue requirements” where all active IoT SIMs have to reach a certain amount of use to meet these minimums.

Pooled data plans are best for those deployments were all of the SIM cards tend to consume the same amount of data. There are 2 ways that telecom companies structure Pooled data plans. One model, we call it the “Data Bucket” model, is where you buy a “bucket of data” and then you are allowed to add a fixed number of SIMs to use this bucket of data. An example of this might be where you are given choices of 1GB, 5GB, 10GB and 25GB of data. For the 1GB plan you might be able to add up to 250 SIMs, for the 5GB plan you can add up to 1000 SIMs, etc. The other model, we call this “True Pooled data” is where each active SIM card contributes a certain amount of data into to the overall pool, and the amount of pooled data grows as you activate SIMs. 

The latter, True Pooled data, model is far and away the best and most flexible Pooled data model. The Data Bucket model pigeon-holes you into a set amount of data which the telecom thinks makes the most sense, and limiting the number of SIMs that can pool this bucket of data. The other drawback into the Data Bucket model is what if you don’t need 250 SIMs, then you will be charged more for service you don’t need. The True Pooled data model allows you to create any size plan you want. We have customers whose need is not 5MB or 10MB or 20MB per SIM, but their true average is 17MB, or 7MB, or 12MB per SIM and the True Pool data plan can handle any size plan you need; this is the most flexible in terms of data quantities.

We see Pool plans used in almost every type of solution because most projects tend to be singularly focused and all of the IoT SIM cards consume relatively equal amounts of data. One of the fastest growing categories we see these plans being used in is AgTech. While there are many solutions for Agriculture, each solution tends to have predictable data consumption rates. A good example of this is soil moisture meters. These instruments measure the amount of moisture in the soil at predetermined intervals and run 24/7 so the amount of data consumed by each instrument is fairly static. This is true if the IoT SIM card is in the device in the ground or in a gateway which aggregates data from many instruments. Other very common uses of the True Pool data plan are:

  • Alarms/Security
  • Internet Failover
  • Remote Video Broadcast
  • GPS Tracking
  • Connected Car
  • Smart Meter
  • Smart City
  • Many, many more

True Pooled data plans are not only flexible in terms of the amount of data but these plans are fully customized by the countries included in the data pool. Unlike the Data Bucket data plan model or the PAYG model, True Pooled data plans include as many or as few countries to meet your particular requirements. This customization is a fantastic way to keep the cost of the plan as low as possible because the roaming cost varies in each country. To eliminate more expensive countries which aren’t needed and keep only those countries that are needed, the chances are that the cost can be lower.

So, what are the cons of the True Pooled data plans and Data Bucket plans? These plans lack the flexibility of having your IoT SIM cards use different plans. All of the SIM cards in a pooled plan must be on the same plan, in with the same cost, and with the same list of included countries. Even with these limitations, we see over 90% of our new clients gravitating to our True Pooled data plans. 

If you have any further questions about the differences between PAYG and Pooled data plans, or if you are looking for a connectivity solution, we would love to hear from you. Because we offer both types of plans, we have valuable insight into each type of plan and can address any need you may have because of this flexibility. One of our IoT experts will be in touch with you if fill out our Contact Form. You can also email our team at sales@onesimcard.com.

A Comparison of OneSimCard to Domestic US Carriers (AT&T and Verizon) for IoT SIM Card Pooled Data Connectivity

 

We wanted to look at our service and see how it stacks up to some of our competition – Domestic USA IoT cellular carriers AT&T and Verizon.* We chose these two networks because they have the largest footprint and overall highest ratings for their network connectivity. For the purpose of this example, we are going to assume 500 IoT SIM cards, each with a 50MB pooled/shared monthly plan.

AT&T offers a variety of SIM cards and connectivity options that range from Domestic USA to North America and International options. They also break their services down by NB-IoT/CAT M and full LTE depending on the speed you need and overall performance (e.g., battery life) you need. AT&T offers a “Steered” data SIM where they force all of the data to be transmitted over their network, so long as there is even a slight signal; they do not want to allow you to roam on another network if at all possible. They also have limitations on the amount of SIM cards that can be on an account/pool – 500. 

Verizon has a more streamlined set of plans because for their IoT SIM card plans they are only offering NB-IoT or Cat M/M-1 plans. These are also Steered plans, and there does not seem to be a limit of SIMs that you can put onto an account, but the speeds are limited to just NB-IoT and Cat M/M-1 making data heavy solutions very difficult.

Here in the USA, OneSimCard offers a single Multi-Network, Multi-IMSI IoT Sim Card which operates on AT&T, & Verizon, as well as T-Mobile. We also operate in over 160 countries and over 400 other networks around the world on that same single SIM card. We do not ever “Steer” your traffic like the domestic, “native” SIMs . So that is 3 concurrent networks on each IoT SIM card. OneSimCard IoT also operates in over 160 countries and over 400 other networks around the world. We allow your device to make the decision as to which network to attach…always allowing the best signal and offering tremendous redundancy built-in. 

Our IoT SIM card solution operates on 2G/3G/4G (Full LTE and Cat M/M-1) so if you have a solution that requires faster speeds, we can accommodate this need with the same SIM card that also operates on the slower Cat M/M-1 protocols. We also offer a flexible, fully customized offering for data plan sizes. From 0.5MB to 1000TB and beyond, we can create ANY size plan to fit your needs, instead of forcing you into a plan we dictate. 

Here is a table of these comparisons, including monthly shared data plan costs:

OneSimCard IoT Verizon ATT
No Steering SIM
Single SIM – all 3 Major USA Networks
2G/3G/4G Full LTE & Cat M/M-1 on Single SIM
Flexible/Custom Plan Sizes
Number of Included Countries 76 1 1
50MB Plan/SIM Monthly $5.50 $15.00 $12.00
Cost for 500 SIMs  Monthly $2,750.00 (no additional fees $7,500.00 (+fees) $6,000.00 (+fees)

This chart demonstrates how the OneSimCard has many features that the domestic carriers do not have and you can save over 60% while still using their networks + T-Mobile! What’s more, the cost in the chart provides access in 76 countries for our International IoT SIM Card, but the listed AT&T and Verizon’s data plans only include the USA – if you want international, you will pay even more. OneSimCard is also the best choice if you are looking for a true partner willing to be flexible with plans, and tailoring the solution based on your individual needs. We have in-depth conversations and needs-analysis meeting with all of our clients and develop each solution to each of our clients instead of trying to fit your project into rigid, “cookie-cutter” data plans.

Speaking of solutions, OneSimCard IoT works with many different IoT verticals, including:

  • Fleet Management
  • Connected Vehicle
  • Asset Tracking
  • Digital Signage
  • Wearables
  • Ag-Tech
  • Telemedicine
  • Smart Cities
  • Custom Projects

OneSimCard IoT SIM cards are managed on our proprietary OSCAR platform. Our Cloud-based Platform is available from any browser and on the Apple App Store and on Google Play. This allows you to manage your entire global deployment of SIM cards from virtually anywhere!

If you would like to compare our IoT SIM cards to your current provider, please get in touch with us. We will be glad to discuss your particular needs and develop a testing protocol for your organization.

*Comparison based on published plans as of 8/18/2021

“Disposable” IoT SIM Cards Now Available for Data Pooling

There are some circumstances when IoT/M2M devices are only needed for a short period of time and then they need to be shut off and discarded. We come across this need most often in the Asset Tracking sector, especially for Cargo containers. There has always been the opportunity to have these disposable SIMs on PAYG accounts, but now we developed a disposable SIM plan for Pooled accounts.

As you know, our Pooled data plans are highly customized for each client. The disposable SIMs are no different. If you need the IoT SIM active for 5 days or 55 days, or 555 days, we can accommodate… just let us know your requirement and we will set the SIM to automatically expire in that timeframe. What’s more, if you need to have some SIMs that have a longer duration and some with a shorter duration, on the same data pool, you can set up the duration in the OSCAR Portal for each SIM.

If you have a project that requires disposable IoT SIM cards, let’s talk about it and let our IoT experts come up with the perfect solution for you.

When to expect 3G Network Sunsets (Shutdowns) and Why?

3G Network Sunsets
A cell tower carrying antennas

Radio frequencies can be thought of as Real Estate in the world of mobile communications. Like Real Estate there is only so many radio frequencies available. This finite resource can, therefore be either very expensive to buy new licenses or impossible because there are no licenses available for “new” frequencies (aka Bands). 

As Mobile Network Operators (MNO’s) introduce new technology, or generations of data transmission methods, the MNO’s have to find a band they license to utilize for that new technology like 5G. Data transmission technology is always evolving, and since there are finite resources there is a need to “re-farm” the bands on which they hold licenses to operate these newer technologies. This is the fundamental reason why old technology like 3G are being shutdown (or “sunsetted”).

In the next few years, we expect there will be many MNO’s  sunsetting 3G. Here is a list of some MNO’s and the probable date of their 3G sunset:

Country Network Probable 3G Sunset
Australia Telstra Corporation Limited June 2024
Canada Rogers Communications Canada Inc. 2025
China China Mobile 2020
Denmark Telia 2023
Denmark TT-Netværket P/S starts April 2021
Finland TeliaSonera Finland Oyj 2023
Germany Telefónica Germany GmbH & Co. oHG 2022
Germany Vodafone D2 GmbH June 2021
Greece Vodafone Greece 2022
India Airtel 2020
Indonesia PT Indonesian Satellite Corporation Tbk (INDOSAT) 2020
Indonesia Telkomsel Indonesia 2020
Iraq Telecom Ltd 2020
Italy Vodafone Italia S.p.A. January 2021
Japan NTT DoCoMo, Inc. March 2026
Lithuania Telia Lietuva 2022
Malaysia DiGi Telecommunications 2021
Malaysia Maxis Communications Berhad 2021
Myanmar Telenor Myanmar 2025 – 2027
Netherlands KPN Mobile The Netherlands B.V. January 2022
Netherlands Vodafone Libertel B.V. 2020
Norway TeliaSonera Norge AS 2020
San Marino Vodafone Italia S.p.A. 2021
Saudi Arabia Saudi Telecom Company 2022
Spain Telefónica Móviles España 2025
Sweden TeliaSonera Sverige AB 2025
Taiwan Taiwan Mobile Co. Ltd 2019
United States AT&T February 2022
United States T-Mobile 3G  July 1, 2022
United States Verizon Wireless Announced 2020 – Pushed
Vatican City Vodafone Italia S.p.A. 2021

If you are operating IoT devices on these networks, you will need to address the situation and upgrade your devices before the network closes.

We have helped many clients with this transition and we would be happy to have a conversation with you to explore your options. For example, if you are operating a fleet tracking solution on 3G telematics devices in the USA and you need to move to 4G we currently provide service on all 3 major US networks (AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon) on a single SIM card with a single APN. Of course, we offer many other countries on that same single SIM and single APN.

Contact one of our experts by email at sales@onesimcard.com to see if you qualify for free SIM cards as you transition.