Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) is a technology that has been gaining traction in the world of IoT devices. It allows for the over-the-air (OTA) management of SIM cards, enabling mobile network operators (MNOs) to remotely provision, manage, and update SIM profiles and settings. This means that the process of changing mobile networks or service providers becomes easier for users, as they can simply activate their new SIM card remotely, rather than having to physically replace the SIM card in their device.
About Remote SIM Provisioning
3GPP has played a significant role in the development of RSP standards. The RSP specifications developed by 3GPP define the process and protocols for securely managing the network profiles on eUICC-enabled devices using over-the-air commands.
The 3GPP RSP standards specify the requirements for the secure communication channels used for downloading, installing, activating, and deleting network profiles on eUICC-enabled devices. These standards also ensure that eUICC and RSP systems are interoperable and meet the highest levels of security.
Benefits of Remote SIM Provisioning for IoT
In 2023, it’s predicted that there will be more than 43 billion devices connected to the internet. The type of connectivity a business uses is critical to the success of their IoT deployment. Using the wrong connectivity solution can lead to project failure. Traditional SIM cards were not designed for IoT. Limitations include lack of scalability, flexibility and high power consumption. However, with eUICC or multi-IMSI SIM cards, connectivity can be managed over-the-air through RSP.
RSP technology is a huge step forward in managing IoT connectivity. Benefits include:
Simplified IoT device deployment: With RSP, IoT device deployment becomes easier, faster, and more efficient. Instead of manually provisioning each device with a new SIM card, RSP allows for the remote activation and management of SIM cards over the air. This makes it possible to deploy large numbers of devices quickly and efficiently, reducing deployment time and cost.
Increased flexibility: RSP offers a high degree of flexibility in managing SIM cards. It allows MNOs to easily provision and manage SIM cards across different networks, countries, and regions. This is particularly useful for IoT devices that operate across borders and need to be able to connect to different networks.
Enhanced security: RSP enables more secure SIM management by reducing the risk of physical tampering and SIM swapping. This is because SIM cards can be provisioned, updated, and managed remotely, without the need for physical access to the device.
Reducing logistics and support costs: RSP simplifies logistics and support by enabling remote management of SIMs on devices, reducing physical SIM card management costs, and providing a centralized way to manage network profiles across multiple devices and platforms. This helps to reduce the need for physical distribution, activation, and replacement of SIM cards.
Selecting the right connectivity provider and technology
When selecting your connectivity provider it is important to take several factors into consideration to ensure that their services align with your specific business requirements.
- Compliance: does the provider comply with roaming, privacy and data regulations?
- Coverage: does the provider offer global coverage and does it include the countries you are deploying to?
- Latency: how long does it take for data transmitted to reach its destination?
- Security: is the security provided sufficient to protect your devices from threats?
- Price: Do the plans available suit your business needs?
- SIM provisioning: are there fees for downloading new profiles? Do you need multiple contracts with service providers?
Velocity IoT Global IoT SIM cards
Velocity IoT’s multi-IMSI eUICC compliant IoT SIM cards provide seamless global connectivity optimized for IoT. The technology our SIMs use for RSP, provides both mobile operators and their enterprise customers far greater flexibility and control over their IoT connectivity, at a fraction of the cost of eUICC-based solutions. Autonomous and flexible, our solution improves uptime by autonomously switching to the strongest available carrier. The use of localized IMSIs helps overcome issues with permanent roaming, data privacy and performance. Velocity IoT provides cost-effective connectivity with access to hundreds of carriers all available with a single vendor relationship.
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