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One contract, one provider - all you need for global IoT

Connecting devices and products globally can result in a complicated web of contracts, service level agreements (SLA) and too many parties to hold responsible when something goes wrong. There is an easier way.

Product and portfolio manager

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Product and portfolio manager

Product and portfolio manager

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If you’re an enterprise OEM (original equipment manufacturer) about to launch your latest and greatest connected product, the biggest question to answer is how your device will connect. In fact, if your product is close to ready and you’ve not determined that, you’re already behind.

The goal for any company with global aspirations is to have their new product ready to connect straight out of the box, no matter where in the world the customer opens it. As with many aspects of life, there is an easy way and there is a hard way.

The hard way

For an OEM deciding to do it alone, there lies an arduous and complex road ahead. Depending on where the connected device is expected to operate, the device manufacturer will need to take out a contract with a CSP (communications service provider) in each locality. This results in multiple contracts, each outlining different SLAs and KPIs (key performance indicators). When something goes wrong (it’s not a matter of “if”), that means having to track down all the responsible parties. Each CSP offers their own service, with unique functionalities, possible service portal and/or APIs and the OEM will need to deal with that.

If the connected device is equipped with a physical SIM (subscriber identification module) card, complications leading to added costs, like international roaming, may occur should the device travel to another region not covered by an established CSP contract. For use cases like an assisted drive automobile, roaming situations are not ideal, due to data traffic having to travel to the home service area and then back, which creates significant latency.

For products that are made in one country, sold in another and operate in yet a third, the need for more localized service emerges.

The easy way

Imagine a world where a device can connect seamlessly, no matter where it is. Now imagine that benefit, still on a global scale, only requiring one contract with one partner and just one set of SLAs. Sound too good to be true? It’s not.

Not all devices need local cellular, but they do benefit from it. The highest performing connectivity will come from the service provider operating in the region where the device is located, so enterprise OEMs should follow two guidelines:

  • Avoid the need to roam by deploying international eSIM technology (also known as electronic universal integrated circuit card - eUICC); and
  • Select a CSP with a deep advanced reseller network of partners.

If these guidelines are followed, a connected device will be able to remain in contact as it passes through all the stages of the global supply chain, from the factory, to the port, to the buyer/user. No matter where it is in its journey, the device will automatically connect to the provider in the region and benefit from localized, high performance connectivity.

The best trips are taken together

Many CSPs are realizing the earnings and growth potential of becoming a reseller and growing their partner network. The benefits to them are plentiful. Not only do they offer more robust, seamless global coverage and performance, they increase the revenues of the entire ecosystem. Enterprises will seek partners who will make their lives as easy as possible, by reducing complexity and providing greater value through a simplified experience.

IoT Accelerator has a close family of CSP partners, who have long benefitted from industry-first innovations and a spirit of close cooperation. Through our Advanced Reseller program is another way we’re expanding our partner network. Ericsson and its CSP partners are collaborating to make life easier for global enterprises and their customers.

Creating Brighter products with global connectivity and local performance

Brighter is a Swedish health tech company founded in 2007 with the mission to improve quality of life and reduce the complications of chronic diseases. Through a digital ecosystem of connected devices, Brighter allows users to share data with healthcare providers, family, payers and other parties. To that end, the team developed Actiste - a pocket-sized, connected device serving insulin-treated diabetics with measurement of glucose levels, insulin injections, and automatic logging, all in a single unit.

To launch Actiste globally, Brighter needed to offer a unified customer experience in each market. Actiste required robust, out-of-the-box connectivity wherever it would be used. It was also crucial that the data gathering and sharing was secure and compliant with local and global regulations. This required an ecosystem of partners.

Brighter selected eSIM from Gemalto and global connectivity from Arkessa. With a single, global eSIM card and a single contract from Arkessa, Actiste works anywhere in the world, right out of the box. Ericsson’s connectivity management platform allows CSPs to offer a single set of SLAs and uniform user experience, no matter where the device is operating. With Ericsson, Arkessa delivers a single portal through which Brighter has real-time visibility and management for every Actiste device, globally - all from just one partner.

To learn more about how Brighter developed and deployed the Actiste connected healthcare device globally, read our reference case, ‘Out-of-the-box global connectivity for healthcare IoT.

 

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