Due to the GSMA’s new eSIM IoT standard (SGP.32), the IoT market will experience significant growth, with Juniper forecasting that the growth of IoT eSIM connections is set to surge to an estimated 1.3 billion by 2028, up from 165 million in 2024 – an almost 700% jump. In preparation, the GSMA estimates that 60% of operators are retraining and upskilling their staff to service the enterprise segment, while 56% have already increased related staff and dedicated resources. Workz has identified three difficulties in navigating this evolving landscape:
eSIM IoT market growth
Avoid the pains of IoT going mainstream
The traditional customer base is poised to undergo a significant shift, with a broader range of companies across industries, from established giants to nimble startups, entering the connected landscape. So why the change?
With eSIM IoT and SGP.32, providers can enjoy unlimited flexibility with network profiles from any operator worldwide. There is no need for integration with an operator’s SM-DP+, with only an activation code needed for activation, meaning providers, enterprises and OEMs can capitalise on cost advantages and faster deployment times over traditional multi-IMSI or M2M deployments. It offers improved remote management with push and pull capabilities for more effective control and a greater market by addressing the needs of devices that are battery-powered or without a user interface. The eSIM IoT remote manager (eIM) also offers providers greater autonomy to users regarding their device management.
Unlimited choice of networks
Market analysts are forecasting a huge uptake in IoT deployment using SGP.32, and with the greater opportunity comes a significant increase in demands to onboard, manage and support users, which means providers must be ready and agile to swiftly onboard more customers and devices than ever before. In order to be sustainable, the increased customer onboarding should ideally come at no extra cost or set-up time for the provider. A decentralised approach is key to avoiding bottlenecks that can lead to downtime or delays, necessitating innovative solutions beyond simply hiring additional staff, such as multi-tenancy and self-care solutions.
Manage devices at scale
The unique makeup of different IoT devices further compounds this dilemma. Each has specific update requirements, provisioning needs, and dynamic operational states, meaning inventory management will become increasingly difficult as the number of users and connections grows. Companies must also handle changing conditions, such as managing assets on the move and switching networks as needed. Trying to do all this manually is unrealistic.
Automation saves time and increases reliability and efficiency as telcos, MVNXs, and OEMs manage a growing number of connected devices. For example:
- Meta tagging enables telcos to manage large volumes of devices by common group characteristics, meaning tasks can be streamlined to batch rather than individual level.
- Automatic profile recycling allows more efficient use of unused or inactive profiles.
- Rule managers can quickly and efficiently address changing conditions such as location or signal strength.
Efficient bulk management with group tags
Adopt early or wait for SGP.32?
The ecosystem players, encompassing chip manufacturers, operating system developers, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and remote management service providers, are actively developing and testing their compatible components against the upcoming SGP.32 standard. This fragmented development process creates a degree of uncertainty about when fully compliant solutions will be available. It is unlikely they will be available until 2025 or possibly even later. In the meantime, enterprises will not wait to connect their assets.
Providers implementing eSIM IoT solutions now using custom offerings based on SGP.32 using a modified consumer standard SGP.22 can establish a valuable market presence and competitive edge over providers offering existing multi-IMSI or M2M solutions. These early adopters will likely hold an advantage when fully compliant solutions arrive; however, they should be aware of the potential risks of being led down a road of no return.
Although the GSMA has implemented standard interfaces for downloading, enabling, disabling, and deleting a profile, there are certain grey areas around additional processes that each vendor can interpret differently. Not conducting sufficient due diligence with a chosen provider could mean compatibility issues with SGP.32 solutions moving forward. Once the protocols are clarified, retrospective alignment will be required.
When selecting potential eSIM partners, here are some key questions providers should consider to mitigate any of these compatibility risks:
- How they plan to integrate their custom solutions with fully-compliant SGP.32 solutions become available
- Whether fully compliant SGP.32 solutions will be added as standard or at an additional cost
- Whether they will run these two solutions separately or as one
- The expected implementation timeframe
- The expected downtime or disruption to current operations
- The vendor’s product roadmap as standards, technology, and the market evolve
How to make your mark in eSIM IoT
Workz has simplified remote management of IoT devices to help providers overcome these challenges by automating device management, scaling efficiently, and ensuring a smooth transition to SGP.32 with an eSIM IoT solution for now and the future.
Quickly onboard customers
Providers can instantly onboard new customers as they sign up, requiring no extra cost or time. Its multi-tenant architecture allows the provider to quickly add clients and channels to the platform with the option of delegating all the administration of profile and user management to the customer with Workz’s self-care feature.
Zero-cost instant customer onboarding
Easily manage devices in bulk
Automating profile tasks increases the reliability of your eSIM operations and saves significant time by enabling efficient management of thousands, millions, if not billions of devices. Here are some examples of what you can do with Workz’s eSIM IoT automation features:
- Hands-off device management ensures device connectivity is optimised regardless of changing conditions, such as moving to a new location or reduced or lost signal strength. Workz eSIM IoT remote manager can seamlessly switch profiles to a local or backup network based on the rules you set to ensure 100% cost efficiency and uptime without any manual intervention required.
- Recycling of unused or redundant profiles with automatic inventory clean-up to maximise available profile pools.
- Easy handling of bulk volumes with device tags to categorise homogenous types and requirements.
Automate profile recycling
Upgrade your IoT future now
Workz’s eSIM IoT remote manager utilises the best parts of SGP.32, such as the eIM, with features such as push and pull control of devices to manage devices that may be switched off or without network signal during the initial attempted update. Its remote management capabilities also extend to constrained devices such as low-power or battery-powered and those without a UI to control.
Like SGP.32, Workz’s solution also includes an IoT profile assistant (IPA) to support profile downloads. This is offered with the flexibility of two configurations: 1) on the device or 2) on the eSIM, making it universally compatible with any device.
With Workz, you can get a futureproof IoT solution that now gives you the benefits of eSIM IoT SGP.32. This allows you to manage today’s devices using Consumer SGP.22 profiles and tomorrow’s devices using IoT SGP.32 profiles as soon as compliant solutions become available. Importantly these can be managed all under a single platform and with no additional cost or impact on operation now or in the future.
Seamlessly manage eSIM today and in the future
Furthermore, Workz’s offering extends way beyond the initial setup. Our ongoing product development ensures your solution evolves with evolving market requirements, technology, and standards. This commitment to continuous improvement ensures your IoT operations remain efficient, reliable, and interoperable with other systems and devices now and in the future. For further insights or a demonstration of how Workz can upgrade your IoT future, reach out today.
