Do you have a way to switch to another IoT connectivity provider without having to manually switch SIM cards in your IoT devices? And did you know that eSIM functionality can solve the issue, and be provided on traditional plastic SIM form factors?

Let us tell you a real life anecdote

Cobira recently got in contact with a company that already has a successful business ongoing with an IoT based service. The service has been running for several years by now and there are already thousands of installations in the field. The service is offered to consumers and consists of a device installed in the consumer’s home that uses mobile connectivity for data communication. However, the company is not fully satisfied with the current connectivity service: it is too expensive and inflexible, so they want to switch the connectivity provider. There is just one issue. The only way to change to a new connectivity provider, for all the installed devices, is to manually switch the SIM cards, which has to be done by a technician. This task will cost hundreds of thousands of euro and take several months. Clearly the company would like a more future-proof solution that enables them to easily switch connectivity provider.

So why is this anecdote relevant in relation to eSIM? Well, with eSIM comes a standardized way to perform a switch of connectivity provider over the air. It is called Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP), and it provides a way to download a new profile from another connectivity provider to the eSIM and then activate this new profile.

Diagram comparing a manual SIM switch with an automatic eSIM switch over RSP

Many people still think eSIM is only for future devices with a soldered chip on the circuit board of the device, but the good part is that the eSIM functionality can also be delivered on a standard removable SIM card form factor (2FF, 3FF, 4FF). This means that the company in our anecdote can use the RSP and eSIM solution when they perform a manual switch of the SIM cards in the many already rolled-out devices, and this way be able to make a switch of connectivity provider over the air in the future, and of course also use this solution in all future devices.

Using RSP and eSIM has a cost, but it is very low compared to performing a manual switch of SIM cards. Imagine having to send a technician to switch SIM cards in, say, 100,000 devices, each installed in a separate home and maybe even in multiple countries. It will be so expensive that most companies will accept having a connectivity provider they are not fully satisfied with, simply because it is too expensive to switch away.

Let Cobira help you with an RSP and eSIM solution, so you can avoid vendor lock-in and have the freedom to easily switch to the connectivity provider that is right for you and your product. Contact us today.