Pelion provides global cellular connectivity coverage on 2G, 3G and 4G LTE as well as NB-IoT via several direct agreements with Tier 1 operator partners
IoT connectivity service provider Pelion announced an extension of its partnership with BT Wholesale, which will provide Pelion customers access to BT’s EE network in the UK.
Through this agreement, Pelion customers in the UK will have access to EE’s 4G network and will gain access to its 5G network later in the year.
“Pelion is committed to providing customers with the highest-quality connectivity available at the best possible rates, and partnerships like the one we have established with BT are central to that mission,” said Rob Shah, director, Product, Pelion. “Our ability to leverage the extensive EE network assures customers around the United Kingdom that Pelion will continue to enable their ability to take advantage of the latest in modern technologies, such as our eSIM offering and EE’s 5G service. We look forward to our continued collaboration with industry leaders like BT and are eager to work together to help our customers realize their vision for the Internet of Things.”
Pelion provides global cellular connectivity coverage on 2G, 3G and 4G LTE as well as NB-IoT via several direct agreements with Tier 1 operator partners. Pelion works with customers across industries including public transport, logistics, agriculture, security and utilities.
Nick Wootten, MVNO director for BT Wholesale, said: “The opportunity for UK businesses to exploit the potential of IoT based solutions is increasing every day and it is critical that these solutions are underpinned with broad and reliable mobile connectivity. We’re delighted that Pelion’s customers will now have access to the UK’s best 5G network, already covering 50% of the UK population with plans to expand this to 90% of the UK landmass by 2028.”
Initially founded as an incubation unit within Arm, Pelion currently operates as a standalone company controlled by Japanese company SoftBank.
EE, owned by BT, initially launched 5G technology in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff, Birmingham and Manchester. Other large cities in which the telco offers 5G coverage includes Bristol, Covently, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Sunderland.
To reach this benchmark, EE said that its recently obtained 700 MHz 5G spectrum will be deployed across the majority of EE sites, offering indoor and wider rural coverage.
EE had previously secured 2×10 megahertz of paired frequency spectrum in the 700 MHz band at a cost of £280 million (currently $354 million); 20 megahertz of supplementary downlink spectrum in the 700 MHz band at a cost of £4 million; and 40 megahertz in the 3.6-3.8 GHz band for £168 million.
