Connectivity is shifting quickly in 2022, with network sunsets in North America rapidly advancing and growing replacement connectivity technologies gaining traction, it’s important to understand the state of cellular and the shifts in connectivity.
The migration to LTE or any other network connectivity is an effort with a myriad of hurdles. Logistically speaking, the effort of identifying what devices need to migrate, how to take them offline to avoid serious service interruptions, and ordering new SIM cards itself can be extremely challenging logistically speaking, and that’s just the planning phase.
Then the actual process of swapping out SIM cards and managing the truck rolls, personnel, and finances of making that possible can be very burdensome. When facing a project of this magnitude, that tampers with the connectivity that makes IoT solutions functional, partnering with an IoT expert can make this process much simpler.
While 5G began its rollout in earnest in 2021, the promise of the speed and latency of 5G hasn’t been realized yet. This is because the top Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) in North America launched nonstandalone (NSA) 5G networks, which leverages compatibility with 4G LTE.
When 5G standalone (SA) comes, and it will, the capabilities of 5G that have been discussed – network slicing, high speed, low latency, wide bandwidth – will be available to bring new innovations to market.
Many IoT devices do not require the high speed and low latency of 5G and are more positioned to rely on the kind of connectivity found in 2G and 3G – voice and SMS capabilities, reliability, and high bandwidth to support widespread communications.
Low power wide area (LPWA) networks offer the ability to support massive deployments with reliable connectivity that was wide reach and penetrability, while also supporting device lifecycles through low power support. Many LPWA networks can support device lifecycles of 10 years or more, making it a suitable network technology for IoT devices that are in large deployments or hard-to-reach, such as underground or in very remote locations.
Choosing an LPWA technology can certainly be beneficial for IoT, but a lot of times, the choice is dependent on the specific use case or even availability.
The discussions around eSIM as a concept have long passed as this connectivity technology had made its place and business case in IoT. Now the talk surrounding eSIM isn’t whether it will prove itself as a technology, but how it is succeeding in the marketplace as a means of future-proof, global connectivity and how to choose the real eSIM over similar competing technologies that sound like eSIM, but aren’t actually.
KORE tackles network sunsets, 5G, LPWA networks, and the true eSIM offering in its upcoming webinar, “The State of Cellular 2022.” We’ll discuss where we are in the midst of network sunsets and how to prepare for the final push, including hidden blind spots and customer success stories. We’ll also dive deep into the landscape of developing connectivity technologies that will power IoT after 2G and 3G have been turned down and how eSIM is an excellent lifeboat to mitigate potential network changes in the future.
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