- Accelerating IoT Deployments with eSIM Connectivity
- eSIMs Evolve Beyond Smartphones to IoT Devices
- Bringing Connectivity to Consumer Electronics, Healthcare Devices
Aug 22, 2022Connectivity platform provider Soracom is partnering with ID technology company Idemia to provide an Internet of Things (IoT) system that includes an embedded subscriber identity module (eSIM) for developers to build cellular-based IoT features into devices. The eSIM provided by Idemia offers low power consumption and an LTE-M or NB-IoT service to connect assets or goods at a relatively low cost, the companies report. It also enables 2G to 5G connectivity.
Kenta Yasukawa
Soracom's platform will connect users to the cloud, while they can employ the IoT capabilities of Idemia's Dakota Smart solution. Early use cases for the technology include connected consumer electronics, as well as healthcare devices. The partnership is aimed at providing a solution for those who may not have deployed IoT in the past due to their need for low power, energy efficiency and global connectivity, says Kenta Yasukawa, Soracom's CTO and co-founder.
An eSIM is an evolved version of the non-embedded SIM. While a SIM is a single connectivity-enabling product, linked to one service provider that can be plugged into a mobile phone or other device, an eSIM is built directly into the device, explains Fabien Jautard, Idemia's executive VP of connectivity services. It can manage multiple connectivity options, he says, while allowing developers and consumers to choose how they manage their mobile connection.
To enable this, Jautard says, the eSIM can be used with various device and profile-management servers and solutions, allowing users to remotely generate and download a new connectivity service even when the device is in the field. The result is intended to be an easier approach to building a device that connects at low power to a server, and that stores data in the cloud.
Idemia and Soracom first began working together in 2017, when Soracom's global cellular connectivity network was released. "Today," Yasukawa says, "global coverage SIMs represent 89 percent of our cellular connections, and a large portion of those are already based on Idemia products."
Accelerating IoT Deployments with eSIM Connectivity
The new eSIM product will accelerate IoT development for Soracom's customers, Yasukawa says, by providing low-power features for IoT development. eSIMs are programmable SIMs consisting of software installed on an embedded universal integrated circuit card (eUICC) chip. Once eSIMs are installed, he explains, they operate similarly to a physical SIM with a cellular connection. They have been built into most handsets since a decade ago, but usually in a dual-SIM configuration, "because by design you never see them, [so] you might not even notice."
Fabien Jautard
For the Internet of Things, Yasukawa says, eSIMs have offered significant advantages over SIM-based connectivity. Because there's no SIM slot, they allow for more streamlined physical form factors. In addition, devices can better handle temperature and vibration extremes compared with those using card-type SIMs. However, he adds, Idemia offers removable eSIMs as an option for devices still using SIM slots.
The use of eSIMs also means greater security, since a user's credentials can be stored in the cloud rather than on a device, and the eSIM cannot be removed from that device. This improves operational efficiency and credential management across an IoT network, Yasukawa explains, while at the same time removing significant security threats. "When a SIM is used for authentication and key agreement," he states, "even if the device is hacked, there are no credentials stored there to be compromised." Additionally, eSIMs make it harder to physically steal or replace data, making the eSIM version more suitable to use for authentication.
In consumer applications, eSIMs have a particular advantage because users do not have to install them as they would with a SIM card, and they also can't remove them. That, Yasukawa says, means they prevent cases of user error. It's not unusual for consumers to insert SIMs incorrectly, he notes, so eSIMs can provide a better consumer experience. "One of our customers in the consumer device space had this exact experience," he recalls. "They faced the challenge of having to help consumer end users figure out how to properly insert a SIM, and based on that experience they decided to switch to eSIMs in the next generation of their product."
eSIMs Evolve Beyond Smartphones to IoT Devices
Embedded SIMs were originally designed for use in mobile phone handsets and tablets. Idemia's new eSIM technology, on the other hand, is designed for low-power IoT devices. The firm also offers a variety of form factors so users can select the chip best suited for the device they are building.
The eSIM technology is intended for IoT or machine-to-machine markets, Jautard says. Some examples include smart appliances and smart energy meters, devices for smart homes and cities, and automotive and industrial products. The integrated IC card is available in standard removable formats, just like standard SIM cards are. However, many IoT use cases now require an eSIM soldered directly into a device, making use of smaller chip technology.
For consumers, the eSIM enables them to digitally select the mobile operator of their choice without having to swap the SIM physically. What's more, developers or solution providers leveraging eSIMs are likely to work with custom hardware. "When you're developing a custom device for yourself or on behalf of a customer and you know you intend to use cellular connectivity," Yasukawa says, "then eSIM becomes a very attractive option."
Bringing Connectivity to Consumer Electronics, Healthcare Devices
The technology is already being used in products such as GPS trackers, swimming pool monitor gateways, beehive sensors, smart energy meters and pocket translators, among others (see Soracom Partnerships Foster Internet of Things Deployments and IoT Connectivity Enables Translation Services Growth). Idemia and Soracom anticipate consumer electronics and healthcare products to come onto the market with the technology first.
In automotive applications, an eSIM produces reprogrammable connectivity options, with the ability to use a single stock-keeping unit to manage the supply chain and connect with a vehicle component wherever that vehicle may be located around the world. The new Idemia line is available now, and the partners expect to see products featuring this technology deployed or available to end users next year.
Nanosatellite IoT network operator Astrocast also recently announced a partnership with Soracom, to provide users with satellite IoT (SatIoT) from the Soracom connectivity platform. Applications that will leverage the resulting SatIoT connectivity are expected to include smart agriculture, preventive maintenance for industrial equipment, and asset tracking.
Astrocast reports that organizations can access its SatIoT system by subscribing to the Soracom platform, then integrating to their choice of cloud services. This partnership will enable Soracom to offer blended IoT connectivity (satellite and cellular) options to systems integrators and end customers alike, managed through the same platform.
Key Takeaways:
- Developers are building new devices with IoT connectivity over cellular networks via built-in eSIM technology from Idemia and Soracom.
- The goal, according to the companies, is to make IoT technology easier to design and deploy in products, at a low cost and consuming low power.
