By Vodafone & Sony Semiconductor Israel
For IoT applications, connectivity is absolutely vital, and cellular connectivity provides the ideal combination of geographic coverage, bandwidth, performance and security. Cellular connectivity was almost made for IoT, particularly as IoT-specific technologies, such as low power wide area networks, expand the advantages of cellular IoT to an increasing number of devices and applications globally.
Furthermore, iSIMs – which directly integrates the SIM onto chipsets (such as Sony’s ALT1250 and ALT1350) – greatly simplify the device connectivity process. iSIM improves battery life and drives down the overall cost of implementing LPWA into a device, as well as providing the same level of security as traditional SIMs. This allows for more compact designs due to the removal of a physical SIM. That, together with Vodafone IoT’s LPWA global roaming footprint, addresses many difficult barriers for businesses wanting to effectively deploy global LPWA solutions.
What is cellular LPWA?
Cellular LPWA is a network capability dedicated to IoT. It comes in two main variants: NB-IoT and LTE-M. Both offer a range of functionality ideally suited to smaller, battery powered devices that need to transmit smaller packets of data. These networks are especially good where devices are hard to reach – such as being located underground or deep in buildings.
However, these features really come into their own when they are accessible with many network partners in many countries – to provide global coverage. As a pioneer in LPWA, Vodafone IoT has built out a global network for LPWA, bringing together network access from multiple mobile operators to allow customers to get the benefits of LPWA countries all over the world.
LTE-M/NB-IoT for IoT goes global – why roaming agreements matter for IoT
The expansion of LTE-M/NB-IoT roaming agreements has transformed global IoT connectivity by enabling devices to operate seamlessly across multiple countries. Unlike traditional cellular technologies, LTE-M and NB-IoT deployments have variations across regions, leading to differences in coverage availability. This poses challenges for industries which are reliant on continuous connectivity, such as supply chain tracking, fleet management, and global asset tracking. However, with Vodafone IoT’s range of LPWA roaming agreements, devices can maintain consistent connectivity without the need for costly multi-SIM configurations or complex regional adaptations.
Addressing global coverage gaps
LTE-M and NB-IoT networks continue to expand, but coverage remains inconsistent in some regions. To address this, leading MNOs have entered into strategic international partnerships to enhance their network reach – such as Vodafone IoT’s recent network agreements in the Middle East. These collaborations are helping to bridge coverage gaps, ensuring that IoT devices maintain continuous connectivity regardless of location, whilst fully compliant with regional regulations.
A crucial aspect that supports this expansion is the use of Half-Duplex Frequency Division Duplexing (HD-FDD) in LTE-M/NB-IoT hardware design. This technology allows a single hardware design to support all global frequency bands, simplifying operations and deployment. By enabling a single module to operate across different regions without hardware modifications, HD-FDD ensures that IoT devices can leverage new roaming markets seamlessly.
Vodafone has an extensive global portfolio of network agreements, which gives customers access to over 130 LPWA networks worldwide. By leveraging such agreements, businesses can simplify IoT deployments, reduce operational complexities, and enhance service reliability by using one network provider that is able to connect assets globally. This is particularly crucial for applications requiring ubiquitous coverage, such as logistics and smart agriculture, where devices traverse multiple network territories.
Future outlook: A unified cellular IoT ecosystem
As LTE-M and NB-IoT continues to gain traction, the number of roaming agreements will play a crucial role in shaping the future of cellular LPWA for IoT.
For chipset providers like Sony, the expansion of LTE-M/NB-IoT coverage presents an opportunity to drive even more innovation and create innovative solutions. One example is that iSIM combines the benefits of LPWA with a SIM format that enables smaller IoT devices that consume even less power.
Sony and Vodafone IoT’s partnership brings together a world-class, secure system-on-chip with an extensive LPWA cellular connectivity footprint, to address the complexities faced by device developers, manufacturers and customers. The adoption of iSIM accelerates time-to-market for devices and delivers operational, financial and performance advantages. The combination of LPWA and iSIM backed by two of the biggest names in IoT, brings the benefits of IoT to even more customers, making IoT easier to design, deploy and operate at scale and around the world.