Japan-based IoT connectivity provider Soracom, busily making alliances across the whole IoT industry, has expanded its roster of integrated SIM (iSIM) supply partners with IoT module makers Quectel and Murata. Soracom has been working already with chipset provider Sony Semiconductor Israel (Sony) and SIM specialist Kigen on iSIM development since the middle of 2021; its new partners will put their hardware/software collaboration into a range of new commercial cellular IoT modules, said Soracom.
The firm said its two-year work with Sony and Kigen on a joint-iSIM proof has been expanded with China-based Quectel and Japan-based Murata in order to produce new iSIM-compatible IoT modules, which integrate existing SIM and eSIM functions into a single “hardware-secured” system-on-chip (SoC) device. As iSIM based units, the new Quectel and Murata units will also offer reduced size, simplified circuitry, improved processing, energy savings, lower cost, and simpler distribution.
Specifically, Soracom customers will have access to the Quectel BG773 and Murata Type 1SC iSIM-compatible modules for use in their IoT deployments; its portfolio of iSIM units will expand. Soracom said customer interest in iSIM-compatible products has “increased steadily”. The company’s Subscription Containers feature lets users download new SIM profiles over-the-air as needed. The company stated: “This collaboration puts our customers at the leading edge of IoT development.”
Akira Sasaki, general manager at Murata’s communication module division, said: “Together with leading companies in the cellular IoT industry, we have developed a solution that will let our customers bring a new generation of IoT products to market. This product is a compact, power-saving, low-cost cellular LPWA module that can be used in a variety of IoT applications.”
Michael Wallon, senior vice president of APAC sales at Quectel, said: “The BG773 [is] an LPWA module with ultra-low power consumption and robust security that supports LTE Cat M1/Cat NB1/NB2. By combining our iSIM-enabled communication modules with the Soracom connectivity platform, customers can easily implement integrated, cost-effective… IoT solutions at scale, while streamlining their global IoT deployments.”
Further quotes were provided with a press note. Kigen commented: “iSIM technology is a game-changer for anyone who wants to secure data originating from connected devices whether it’s for delivering unique customer experiences or for AI solutions. The commercial availability of iSIM on Soracom’s network is the result of extensive collaborative testing of the Kigen iSIM OS using the market-leading modules and chipsets.”
Sony Semiconductor Israel said: “We have been at the forefront of the development of iSIM technology, which will greatly contribute to the evolution of cellular IoT devices. The combination of Soracom’s LPWA modules and iSIM technology accelerates implementation efforts for customers, allowing them to develop advantages in cost, size, security, and power consumption.”
Last month, KDDI-owned Soracom announced a partnership with US-based cellular-IoT satellite operator Skylo Technologies to further integrate non-terrestrial network (NTN) connectivity as an option in its cloud-managed portfolio of wireless IoT standards, which also includes (terrestrial) cellular IoT (NB-IoT and LTE-M) and Sigfox, plus Wi-Fi and Ethernet. The Skylo offer lets terrestrial Release 17-level 3GPP-based NB-IoT hardware (chipsets, modems, modules, devices) connect via satellite.
The firm is also offering “native support” for satellite messaging with its global IoT connectivity offer, so enterprise IoT users can pay for both terrestrial and satellite connectivity in a single platform. The firm announced a deal with Switzerland-based nanosatellite operator Astrocast last July, which has since been fully integrated into its global IoT platform, which offers cellular IoT (NB-IoT and LTE-M) and Sigfox, plus Wi-Fi and Ethernet.
The company, with five million global IoT connections, has just introduced three services to help IoT users to take advantage of new generative AI capabilities, and also just launched a new multi-carrier IoT service to cover the US market, piggybacking on the cellular networks of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. It has recently signed with Sigfox-owner Unabiz, in which the company has invested, to allow the Singapore firm to use its global cellular IoT coverage as part of its IoT solutions.
