Swedish vehicle manufacturer Scania is working with German tech security group Giesecke+Devrient (G+D) and its UK-based IoT MVNO subsidiary Pod Group to develop a new connectivity platform for management of eSIMs and IoT activities in commercial vehicles. Scania already uses G+D’s eSIM solution; their new project is to “implement a fully integrated solution that supports centralized management of telecommunications networks”, they said.
They said the new platform-as-service solution will enable Scania to deploy eSIM solutions in its trucks anywhere in the world. Scania, G+D, and Pod Group are currently designing the “platform-as-service environment”, they said, to work with Pod Group’s connectivity management platform, Pod IoT Suite. “The main focus is on integrating the eSIM management solution with Pod IoT Suite and implementing it in Scania’s internal IT infrastructure,” they said.
A statement explained: “Scania will use the Pod IoT Suite… as a central management interface for controlling all IoT activities. [It] can use it, for example, to analyze data, identify efficiency potential or read off costs. Most importantly, the platform also supports the fast and cost-efficient onboarding of mobile network operators. This gives Scania the option of connecting the optimal provider for each country… [for] the best quality of service.”
The solution features G+D’s eUICC / eSIM cards, developed for the automotive sector, and already used by Scania, and its AirOn360 eSIM management platform. Scania has specified that “no internal expertise” should be required to manage the airtime solution. It said: “Services are bundled in the platform and provide tailored options for each use case. The G+D solution… acts as a bridge between Scania and mobile providers in the various markets.”
Peter Vincent, head of connected systems at Scania, said: “With a centralized management platform, we now have a one-stop solution for everything from eSIM user authentication for secure access to the mobile network and eSIM management, to transparent, measurable and scalable use of IoT activities. Centralization saves us time and costs to a considerable extent. Our customers also benefit from an improved quality of service. From a sales perspective and with regard to our international orientation, the new platform model will support us decisively.”
Philipp Schulte, head of connectivity and IoT at G+D, said: “Pod’s product range complements G+D’s world-leading eSIM portfolio and opens up the possibility to connect, manage, bill and secure devices via a global, cost-effective approach. We are now taking the next step in innovation with the development of an integrated platform for Scania. Even though the platform here is initially being designed for the automotive segment, we see a very large market potential for it in principle in the IoT sector in general: from smart manufacturing to smart metering.”
