San Francisco, CA, 19 August 2015 - PodsystemM2M, the expert in connectivity for the M2M and IoT industries has today announced that it will be launching a new solution at CTIA SuperMobility in September to resolve some of the most critical connectivity issues currently facing developers of M2M and IoT applications, especially those that are mission critical or located in remote areas.
The solution, called FreeWay, addresses two major challenges for developers and device manufacturers:
Cellular IoT devices are often remote (e.g. agricultural applications) or roaming (e.g. connected car applications). In contrast to consumer devices, they require a stable connection to send regular data packets, often containing mission critical information, in real-time. Multi-network SIMs (which automatically detect signal loss and switch between local networks) are a good solution for resolving coverage issues, however in order to provide a solution with no single point of failure, the core network that provides the overall connection must also be backed up.
A recent report by Machina Research* highlights the issues that the growing number of IoT devices will cause networks. The main problem is that networks are designed to deal with consumer usage and are not ready to cope with the very different demands placed on them by IoT devices. This confirms that reliability issues will only be exacerbated as the IoT grows, which is bad news for mission critical applications.
This the main reason for developing FreeWay, which provides a no single point of failure functionality. Combining a database of multiple independent core networks (or IMSIs) on the SIM card itself, with an application that swaps automatically between them if signal is lost, FreeWay provides a back-up in case of core network failure which, unlike other “multi-IMSI” SIMs, is completely independent from the network Home Location Register (HLR). This eliminates all possible points of failure providing maximum redundancy. Additional “Over The Air” functionality means SIM profiles can be updated and new IMSIs added remotely if network pricing or coverage change.
Despite the differences in the way consumers and developers of M2M/IoT devices use the network, they are similar in one aspect: they both want more control over their connectivity.
Podsystem Inc. CEO Sam Colley commented, “Just as consumers are starting to see the advantages of the e-SIM, which will allow them to switch network provider without swapping the SIM card, so manufacturers of IoT and M2M devices need to ensure that their devices are future proofed. For example, if pricing or coverage changes on the network they are using, they need to be able to swap networks remotely, without removing the SIM from the device.”
Swapping SIMs in remote or roaming devices is a costly process which involves physically sending an engineer to the remote site, and in the case of embedded SIMs, rebuilding the device. FreeWay’s Over The Air (OTA) functionality allows device manufacturers to remotely change the profile of the SIM, whether this is required to reduce costs by moving the SIM onto a cheaper IMSI, or send a completely new IMSI to the SIM to improve coverage. This gives device manufacturers peace of mind, knowing that the connectivity can be constantly adapted to suit the lifecycle of the device and that SIMs will never need to be swapped out.
Managing Director of Podsystem Group, Charles Towers-Clark added, “As FreeWay has been designed specifically for M2M and IoT manufacturers, the emphasis is on the ability of the SIM to automatically swap IMSIs in case of signal loss, as well as the independence of the architecture from any one network which eliminates points of failure. These are vital features to avoid loss of connectivity for M2M and IoT devices which are operating without human intervention.”
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Editor’s Notes
*Machina Research “M2M Growth Necessitates a New Approach to Network Planning and Optimization”
About PodsystemM2M
As a division of Podsystem Group, we form part of an independent MVNO specializing in data connectivity solutions for the M2M and business travel sectors. At PodsystemM2M, we specialize in multi-network and multi-IMSI data solutions, offering reliable coverage worldwide, flexible pricing plans and 24 hour support with our team of M2M experts. For more information please visit our M2M website www.podsystemm2m.com
At Podsystem Group, we serve customers throughout Europe, the USA and across the globe from our headquarters in Buckingham, UK and our offices Spain (Seville) and the USA (San Francisco, CA). Our mission is to enable our customers to grow by optimizing the value of mobile data through global connectivity. We are obsessed with customer care. We listen.
For more information please visit our group website www.podsystem.com