Internet of Things (IoT) service provider and integrator UnaBiz has signed a global distribution agreement with IoT connectivity provider Soracom to offer cellular connectivity to its customers. The agreement will provide UnaBiz’s customers with access to Soracom’s global cellular networks, which are enabled by 350 mobile carriers throughout 170 countries, and will provide services complementary to the global 0G network powered by Sigfox technology.
UnaBiz’s key vertical markets include utilities, supply chain, logistics, security, and building and facilities management, the companies report, and the connectivity agreement is expected to open up new segments and new addressable critical IoT use cases that require lower latencies, larger data volume and uninterrupted communication. The agreement will launch in Singapore, Taiwan, France, Spain and Portugal, and is expected subsequently to be extended to more than 70 0G operators worldwide.
“It is clear that there is no single network technology that can cover all IoT use cases, and collaboration is key to enable IoT at scale,” said Henri Bong, UnaBiz’s CEO and co-founder, in a prepared statement. “By joining forces with Soracom, our customers will gain access to best-of-breed cellular IoT connectivity to help them achieve their business objectives and ESG goals. This distribution model is already tested and proven today with UnaBiz and our 0G operator partners.”
The agreement builds on a long-term strategic partnership that began in 2018 when Soracom led a $10 million investment in UnaBiz’s Series A funding round (see Soracom Leads Multi-Million-Dollar Investment Round in Sigfox Provider Unabiz, Soracom, Unabiz Unveil Sigfox Monarch Development Kit and Soracom Launches Technology Accelerator Program to Drive IoT Innovation). In 2020, the two companies partnered to deliver an LTE-M-based smart meter reader for NICIGAS, Japan’s largest LP gas company, to complement its existing Sigfox-based smart meter reader. The LTE-M connectivity is powered by Soracom’s IoT connectivity platform, which natively supports blended Sigfox and cellular deployments and provides access to cloud capabilities.
“Soracom is pleased to support UnaBiz and its 0G operator partners with IoT connectivity and platform services that connect seamlessly to multiple cellular networks, including 2G, 3G, 4G LTE and Cat-M1 and NB-IoT,” added Ken Tamagawa, Soracom’s CEO and founder, in the prepared statement. “As a cloud-agnostic, hardware-agnostic platform, we firmly believe in the ‘technology convergence’ movement. We look forward to working with UnaBiz to offer Soracom coverage and cloud-native capabilities in new markets and reinforce UnaBiz’s position as a massive IoT service provider and integrator.”
In February 2023, Soracom announced the joint global development and the launch of an LTE-M-based IoT button with UnaBiz that utilizes Soracom’s embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) technology and cloud-native smart connectivity platform (see IoT Presses a Button with Soracom-UnaBiz Solution). Customers in Singapore, Taiwan, France, Spain and Portugal will be able to purchase IoT SIMs from their respective local UnaBiz operators directly, or they can contact UnaBiz for cellular-based IoT solutions.
“Our customers chose us because of the additional IoT expertise and know-how they can access alongside the cellular services, which are not always available from your traditional local telco SIM provider,” Bong said in the statement. “This is why we are pleased to strengthen our strategic partnership and scale up with Soracom with this new extended global agreement.”