A successful IoT deployment project starts speaking with, and chooses an IoT SIM provider in the earliest parts of the design, and there are many things to think about when choosing an IoT SIM connectivity partner. These factors include:

• Coverage – How robust is the network(s) your provider uses? Are you looking for a multi-country or single country deployment? Is the provider able to provide a No Steering SIM, allowing your devices to use the best network in the area you are deploying your device(s)? Can they give you multi-network capability under a single management portal and a single APN?
• Functionality – How much functionality does your IoT SIM card partner offer, and it is sufficient to meet your requirements? These functionalities can include:
  • Management Portal to view and maintain all of your IoT SIM cards. This Portal should have the ability to:
    • Turn SIM cards on and off
    • View and evaluate data consumption
    • See where (geographically) where data is being used
    • Limit the amount of usage each SIM can consume
    • Give user level access (internal and external) to certain functionality within the portal and individual SIM cards
    • Send SMS commands and check for successful delivery
    • Management of many SIMs at once (batch management)
  • Static IP Address capability – IoT SIM cards default to dynamic IP addresses, which is perfectly fine for the vast majority of deployments. There might be a specific reason why you would want to use Static IPs though. If this is a requirement, do you need Public or Private Static IP addresses? Private Static IP addresses are the more secure option, and most projects opt for this security.
  • VPN – Do you need IPSec or OpenVPN? IPSec VPN is the more expensive of the 2 options and it allows multiple users concurrently. This is best for when you have a team of individuals who need access to the fleet of SIMs at the same time. Open VPN can be a better option for smaller teams who only need one concurrent user to have access to communicate with the SIMs. This option is typically much less expensive while still giving you the control that you need.
  • Private APN (Access Point Name) – All IoT SIM cards have APNs because it gives access to the IP network. By default, providers give access to a shared APN for their customers. If the customer wants higher control over the information the SIM card can send to and receive from, they opt for a private APN which increases the security on the device.
  • IMEI Lock – IoT SIM cards can be locked to particular devices using an IMEI lock. This lock creates a relationship between the SIM card and the device’s IMEI so if the SIM is put into another device, data will not work. This prevents the end-user from taking the SIM card out of your device and rack up high data consumptions by putting the SIM into their tablet or phone.
  • Whitelist IP’s and/or URLs – There are many cases where IoT solution providers want to limit the IP addresses that the SIM card can send information to/from. Without using a private APN and configuring your access point, you can whitelist certain IP addresses to allow connections, and not allow any other IP addresses.
  • Limiting usage (data or money usage) – This is one of the most important functionalities to ensure you have. Without the ability to limit how much the SIM card can consume (data and/or money usage) you could easily get huge surprise bills. This can happen if a device sends more information than expected because of a bug.
  • Voice capabilities – All IoT cards have Data and SMS capability, but what if your project requires Voice calls as well (think emergency pendants for children or seniors). This is a bit of a specialty capability that many providers don’t offer because the very idea of “IoT” or “M2M” is machines communicating with other machines. But when you need voice communications, it is important to understand your connectivity partner’s capability.
  • Support for Multi-IMSI’s – Having an IoT SIM card that supports multiple IMSI’s allows you to ensure flexibility to change the HLR (Home Locator Register) if necessary and/or to save on data roaming costs. This ability to switch HLR’s is important to give you the best network access. You will also want to ensure that your IoT devices have a STK (SIM Tool Kit) onboard to allow the SIM to receive the new IMSI.
  • No Network Steering SIM – This might be a foreign concept to most, but it is critical that you understand network steering and how it works before you choose a provider that doesn’t steer traffic…ever. Network Steering is a process whereby the carrier you are using steers traffic to certain networks according to their PRL (Preferred Roaming List). Carriers do this so they (not you) can save money, but it sacrifices coverage and reliability. This is most common with native/domestic SIM cards. Let’s take a look at how this works. The carrier may say they offer domestic roaming at no cost, but there is a cost to them if you roam onto another carrier. If you get an IoT SIM card from a domestic carrier, they will steer all of the traffic onto their network first, regardless of the signal strength. They will only allow you to roam if there is no coverage. When they do allow you to roam, they put their PRL into place, and will only let you roam on preferred networks, in a particular priority; they will prioritize the least expensive roaming networks first. Therefore, steering hurts speed and reliability of the connection. Some carriers also use their PRL for international roaming services as well, again hurting speed and reliability. The best option, then, is to partner with a carrier that has no steering SIM cards. These carriers do not prioritize particular networks. They give you equal access to all of the networks they use. Because the device is able to make the decision with which network to connect, you are ensured the most reliable connection with the best possible coverage.
  • Access to API’s – Having access to your providers portal via API’s is very handy. With API access, you can tie your portal and backend to the provider’s portal/backend. API access is most important in larger deployments when managing the SIMs manually is unwieldy. This access typically gives you the ability to activate/deactivate SIMs, add/remove value (in the case of PAYG plans), get usage information, add user names, Activate with templates, Block/Suspend the card, Send SMS to the device, set/change data limits on the card, get CDR’s (Call Detail Records), check connectivity status, reset connection, add/remove IP addresses, and many more SIM management functions. You also should look for a provider who can add API functionality as necessary.
• A Flexible Partner – It is important that your connectivity partner listens to your requirements and is nimble enough to meet your needs. Many providers will force you to conform to their model, instead of working with you and develop a model that will work best for both parties. This is most prevalent in the data plans offered. Many times these plans are very “cookie-cutter” where there are set data consumption assumptions and you need to pick the plan from the set menu of available plans. The most flexible providers work with you and develop the size plan for your particular need, rather than trying to fit you in their “box.”
• SIM Card Form Factor – Do you have a specific SIM form factor in mind? Make sure that no matter your requirements that your connectivity partner can provide the SIM form factor that you need. The typical form factors are: 2FF (mini), 3FF (micro), 4FF (nano), & MFF2 (embedded chip). You also might need to consider if you require commercial or industrial SIMs. Industrial SIMs have higher heat and cold temperature tolerances.
• Support – If you need help, is it readily available? Many providers will have you wait on hold for hours or not provide full support for your connectivity issues. Most time, these issues are not SIM related, but, rather, are device problems. You want to make sure that your partner will help you with both SIM related and device related issues & will respond to you in a timely manner.
• Cost – We put this topic last for a reason. If your provider falls short in other areas, is it worth spending less on an inferior connectivity solution. Most IoT deployments depend heavily on the ability to establish and maintain connection to their devices. Without this connection, there is no solution; it is just a device in the field sitting idle. We see that purchasing departments put too much emphasis on the cost of the connectivity solution without looking at the other, more important aspects of how and why to choose a specific provider. Choosing the wrong partner because they were the least expensive will end up costing you much more in the long run.

In conclusion, you want to look at the whole picture when choosing a connectivity partner. It is shortsighted to just choose the least expensive solution, or one that hasn’t been fully vetted by asking all of the right questions. The partner needs to be knowledgeable and willing to work with you in designing your solution. They should provide you with options for connectivity and demonstrate their capability to deliver on what they promise.

We at OneSimCard IoT have a knowledgeable team who are eager to work with you to deliver the right solution. We are curious about IoT and have a vast amount of experience working with many types of IoT solutions. If you would like to speak with one of our experts, simply fill out our contact form and a member of our team will be in touch with you to schedule a no-obligation consultation with you.