UK telecoms operator BT is offering a “new” national roaming service for IoT SIMs on its EE mobile network, plus on infrastructure managed by UK telco rivals and rented by partner MVNOs “where required”. The service will connect to traditional higher-powered M2M-style cellular 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G networks, plus dedicated low-power wide-area (LPWA) NB-IoT and LTE-M networks, as suitable and available.
BT expects takeup from “courier and delivery companies in particular”, it said, by enabling sundry tracking and monitoring applications to work across the UK, including in rural and coastal areas – and “even in the harshest remote conditions thanks to enterprise-grade IoT SIMs”. It used the announcement to flag EE’s rollout of modish high-end 5G to “over 500 new, predominantly rural locations” in the last weeks.
EE claims to have activated 5G in “over 1,000” cities, towns, and villages in the UK so far. Its LTE-based 4G network is “on track” to deliver coverage in 90 percent of the UK’s geographic landmass by the mid-2020s, it said. It reminded as well that its 3G switch-off is set for early next year (2024). Its new IoT roaming SIMs are priced on a per-usage basis – so “businesses only pay for the data they use rather than risking under-utilising data on a fixed rate”.
Alongside, BT is offering a connectivity and device management portal with “full security measures” to protect IoT data and track IoT devices. “The added security helps to ensure the safe and efficient use of devices, allowing companies to focus on their core operations without worrying about data breaches or device mismanagement,” it said. The offer of inter-operator roaming, to fortify IoT coverage, will “shake up the B2B IoT market”, it added.
It said in a statement: “The new IoT service will help end users such as drivers and delivery workers improve accuracy and efficiency by giving them access to important information in real-time. An example of this would be providing visibility of fuel efficiency, changes to a delivery schedule and cold chain management so temperatures can be constantly monitored on a refrigerated vehicle.”
Marc Overton, managing director of Division X, BT’s go-to-market enterprise unit, commented: “Businesses… increasingly understand the benefits of using IoT devices in running their operations… We’re making sure those connections stay strong… whether in the heart of a bustling city or out in the countryside. We’re excited to help both our existing and new customers fully harness the power of their smart devices with lightning-fast mobile connectivity.”
