US-based IoT outfit Charge Analytics has picked KDDI-owned Soracom to provide mission-critical cellular IoT connectivity, based on NB-IoT and LTE-M, to remote monitoring and control systems deployed in highly regulated industrial settings such as construction, manufacturing, mining, and chemical production.
These systems transmit real-time indoor and outdoor industrial plant data such as air quality, pressure, temperature, air flow, humidity and other metrics to secure cloud platforms for data logging and remote access, analysis, and technical support, said the pair in a joint statement. The Soracom solution provides global IoT connectivity for customers to offer technical assistance from any location, helping to comply with environmental standards and regulations, and to maximize plant efficiencies.
Soracom offers multi-carrier cellular IoT airtime plans for low-volume IoT traffic, which also include the ability for SIM cards to ‘hibernate’ between testing and deployment, creating significant cost savings. Soracom’s cellular IoT solution simplifies the process to send data to the cloud, they said, and affords “minimal upfront hardware costs and subscription fees” and easy installation and operation.
“Reliable IoT connectivity is especially important to Charge Analytics because its customers [often] monitor in remote areas. Even in locations such as factories or power plants that may offer some Wi-Fi coverage, establishing connectivity and staying connected to those networks isn’t always possible, and can create potential security risks.”
Gerry Kaelin, director of business development at Charge Analytics, said: “Continuous air quality monitoring is a mission-critical concern in many highly regulated industries, and reliable connectivity is necessary. It enables important plant data to be available remotely, from the convenience of any device, anywhere.”
Ed Cline, founder and technical director at Charge Analytics, said: “Soracom worked closely with us to identify the connectivity features that best serve our needs and were key to us launching and scaling quickly. Their technical support has been exceptional.”
Kenta Yasukawa, co-founder and chief technology officer at Soracom, said: “Emerging solutions like advanced IoT monitoring and control systems are critical in helping us all meet the demand for healthier, safer workspaces. It’s our mission to serve IoT innovators like Charge Analytics by delivering highly capable connectivity and expert support so they can take full control of their networks, connect easily to their cloud of choice, and scale deployments from hundreds of devices to millions.”
