Canadian operator TELUS has launched a global cellular IoT roaming service with IoT connectivity management provider Eseye, and pumped £15 million (CAD$26.3m, USD$20.88m) of investment into the UK-based firm at the same time.
The new roaming service, a white-labelled version version of Eseye’s AnyNet platform, rebranded as TELUS Global Connect, allows the carrier’s IoT customers to roam on 700 cellular IoT networks in 190 countries. The £15 million investment in Eseye comes from TELUS Ventures, the strategic investment arm of TELUS, focused mostly on IoT and AI.
TELUS said its IoT customers will be able to offer “competitive pricing, lower latency for data and application function, and a host of additional network features such as high availability, continuity of service, and resiliency that are critical to IoT customers”.
The Eseye platform integrates with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure; it offers a single embedded SIM (eSIM) loaded with multi-IMSI carrier profiles, a single contract, and a single platform and connectivity partner to facilitate global IoT deployments.
TELUS said the arrangement will, in time, offer connectivity and device management for “a range of OEM devices and alternative hardware platforms”. Via Eseye, TELUS is offering a dedicated support team to help with round-the-clock support, including onboarding and technical troubleshooting. Eseye, based in Guildford, claims to have 2,000 customers for IoT roaming.
Mike Cihra, vice president of IoT at TELUS, said: “TELUS Global Connect fulfils customers’ demands for an enterprise-grade network operation powering their products and services from connectivity through to built-in security and world-class support. By simplifying access to global networks, TELUS Global Connect removes a barrier to international expansion for many businesses, contributing to a stronger economy for us all.”
Nick Earle, chief executive at Eseye, said: “This partnership and investment marks an inflection point for the company. [It] validates our technology platform and goal to provide ubiquitous, cellular connectivity to devices anywhere in the world. We’re excited to be working with TELUS to deliver this new global IoT capability to their customers.”
Rich Osborn, president and managing partner at TELUS Ventures, said: “This investment will help to expand our IoT leadership across the globe, delivering our customers best-in-class IoT solutions. Eseye’s innovative technologies and proven leadership in the IoT connectivity space make the company an excellent fit with TELUS and, together, brings a formidable strength to the global market.”
