Why you should develop IoT products with global connectivity in mind

If you’re comparing IoT and M2M connectivity providers, you probably keep hearing about global connectivity and might think, “What’s the fuss? I’m only deploying in a few countries right now. Full global coverage is probably overkill for my use case.“

Since there are actually many benefits to starting with a global connectivity provider from day one, we’ll dedicate this blog post to explaining them.

Flexibility

Considering the different connectivity options from the first stage of your product development will help you avoid issues that will be more expensive and time-consuming to solve in the later stages.

Although connectivity providers like 1oT have a global footprint, you don’t have to connect in every country. Also, their footprint won’t increase your connectivity costs in your deployment countries. It does, however, give you extra flexibility to quickly deploy to new markets.

Imagine you are focused on designing your IoT product for the US market. As you launch your product and gain traction, you suddenly win a contract with a large European customer. On top of the logistics of shipping your products overseas and changing your hardware to support EU bands, you also need to think about the connectivity requirements. If you were only using a domestic connectivity provider, you would also have to find a new provider in Europe and switch out the SIMs in your devices. However, if you start with a global provider from day one, you will have one less headache to sort out for your new deployment.

Hardware considerations

It’s not only the footprint that makes a solution global. It’s important to design your device and select hardware that allows you to connect globally. Most modules have variants for different regions, and some come in a global variant. For example, the SIMCom SIM7600NA works only on North American bands, while their SIM7600E is for Asia. Instead of manufacturing different versions of your device, you can just use the SIM7600G model from the start, which supports bands from all regions.  

Here are some more questions to ask yourself to determine your hardware requirements:

• Which radio access types will you rely on?
• Are there 2G/3G sunsets planned in countries you could potentially deploy in?
• Will you need to deploy in a country with permanent roaming restrictions, like Brazil?
• Would a module that supports eSIM profile downloads be a good way to future-proof your solution?

If any of those questions made you scratch your head, involve 1oT from the start. We’ll help you pick out hardware that supports scaling to ensure you don’t get locked into using one technology that is not future-proof.

Here’s how we helped an e-bike manufacturer figure out their hardware needs right at the start of their R&D phase.

National telecoms versus global providers

While it might seem straightforward to kick off your project with a SIM from a national telecom, things will get much more complicated as your plans and product evolve. When you start expanding your operations, the complexity of managing an IoT project on a global, or even regional, scale grows as well.

With traditional telecoms, you will often discuss a national footprint for the primary country where your project is located. Each additional country you expand to requires a new negotiation, commitment, and change to your contract. There is also the added risk that the telecom does not allow for roaming with their SIMs, or the rates for countries outside their home market are prohibitively high.

Another, often overlooked, benefit of a global solution is that you’ll usually be able to access more networks in your home country instead of being locked to a single local provider. In the US, for example, 1oT can give you access to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile with the same SIM or eSIM profile. However, if you go directly to one of the big carriers on your own, you will not be able to access their competitor’s network even if they have gaps in their coverage.

1oT can deliver connectivity in 190 countries, so you can rest assured you will have the coverage you need when it’s time to scale without having to change providers. We offer global connectivity from the get-go so you can focus on what truly matters—building your product and reaching new customers worldwide. Get in touch!