Promises to do what the cloud did for the Internet
Denmark-based comms vendor Onomondo says its new SoftSIM invention will do for the Internet of Things (IoT) what the cloud did for the Internet by totally disaggregating all the elements of connectivity. A global launch of the SoftSIM is planned for Q1 2023. The SoftSIM will take off because so-called eSIMs are not as liberating as they pretend to be, its makers say.
A product of Embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card standards, eSIMs have satisfied many Smartphone makers and IoT device makers by letting users load new carrier profiles digitally, over the air. But while eSIMS have eliminated the need to physically swap SIM cards, the user still needs a SIM card to be installed initially, but they don’t with a SoftSIM. Granted the eSIM created more flexibility than regular SIMs, but the commercial agreements can be equally binding through bootstrapped network profiles, and hardware still needs to be installed into each device. Just as a release from Alcatraz to an open prison might be comparatively nicer porridge, it is not full liberation. You may not be dong so much punishing hardware time, but you are still on probation to the device maker or telecoms operator.
Onomondo said the SoftSIM allows the user to work with any mobile network operator. It has redesigned existing IoT connectivity architecture through integrating more than 700 operators at the Radio Access Network (RAN) level across more than 180 countries, as well as layering its own API-based IoT platform on top. With the new SoftSIM, as soon as the SIM is downloaded, assets can seamlessly move across national borders without the inherent complexity of roaming.
Users get a full instant insight on the performance of each connected device, allowing them to tap into their global grid and troubleshoot IoT devices from anywhere. Data is transferred directly across the Onomondo virtual network to one of the firm’s cloud partners (such as Microsoft Azure, AWS or IBM Watson), so enterprises can easily understand what is going on between devices and the network, through to the core network, and on to the IoT cloud from a single interface.
The Onomondo ‘any operator’ ethos lets customers choose their network and the type of service they need for the product they are tracking. This means that customers don’t suffer from any hidden lock-ins or needless costs that can even arise from eSIM. Making the SIM downloadable also means that customers only pay to track their devices when they need to, rather than paying upfront for a SIM card and associated costs in connection to its installation. This is why the bill of materials for companies rolling out IoT can be cut by 50-90% depending on the scale of the fleet.
There are huge carbon savings too. If everyone in the IoT industry stopped using SIM cards that would eradicating the need for billions of chips a year to be manufactured, transported and installed. A Trusted Connectivity Alliance report in 2021 estimated that SIM card production resulted in 560,000 tons of CO₂ emissions and 18,000 tons of plastic. Not to mention saving the rare minerals that are being mined by sale children in The Democratic Republic of Congo. SIM production is expected to proliferate dramatically as connected IoT devices are predicted to reach 27 billion by 2025. Onomondo’s SoftSIM can be downloaded directly from the cloud onto chipsets already found in devices.
“The move to a plug and play SIM card is the catalyst that IoT has needed to be deployed at scale and to start to reach its full potential,” said Onomondo CEO Michael Karlsen.