Say Hello To The IoT SIM Card

The Internet of Things is about to open up even more thanks to the release of a connected SIM from Sierra Wireless.

The Sierra Wireless Smart SIM (pictured below) is a low-cost plug-in device that is able to boost the network coverage of a connected IoT product, allowing it to stay online and work to the maximum much more effectively.

Sierra Wireless, currently has more than 700,000 SIM subscribers globally, says that the Smart SIM is ready and able to connect to LTE networks around the world, and is available from today.

Combined

The Smart SIM is able to stay connected at all times as it combines multiple operator profiles that are already installed.

This allows it to automatically selects networks based on the best service available in any given location, with an on-board applet able to choose the best available regional network operator at any given time, resulting in better coverage and lowering service down-time.

In the event a device loses network signal, whether in-transit or otherwise, the Smart SIM will detect this and re-establish the connection with another network automatically.

All of this helps companies to simplify and streamline their global IoT deployments, saving money and using up less time in arranging multiple service agreements, SIMs and platforms with different vendors across different regions.

“Our Smart SIM technology allows us to provide our customers with a connectivity service designed for the coverage and quality of service that their IoT use cases require,” said Emmanuel Walckenaer, senior vice president, cloud and connectivity services at Sierra Wireless.

“When combined with our IoT Acceleration Platform, this unique, fully integrated device-to-cloud service accelerates our customers’ time-to-market.”

Recent figures from Gartner have suggested that as many as 5.5 million devices will be connected every day in 2016 as the total number of ‘things’ comprising the IoT reaches 6.4 billion this year.

A further report from analyst house Juniper predicted that consumer spending on smart homes and their associated products is set to skyrocket and reach $100bn (£65bn) within the next five years, as this growth will push the number of connected appliances in smart homes to over 20 million by 2020.

Among TechWeekEurope readers, 80 percent have either adopted IoT applications or plan to, but home use is outpacing that of the office.

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