Making the most of the connectivity in your moving assets
If you are looking to control, measure or monitor something within your business or personal life then you’re going to need some connectivity at some point. 3G & 4G SIM cards with managed data are key to this connectivity whether we like it or not. They’re a must when implementing IoT and can be used in almost any device. But most of us have previously just worked with a single network on one sim in the past. One of the biggest challenges of putting a SIM card in a moving asset is that it always needs to be connected as the coverage overlaps and gaps with mobile networks. But as we all know, no single mobile network has blanket coverage and where one network offers a full signal, another may offer none.
Whilst all networks are regularly investing in their networks to enhance and improve coverage, it does cause some users a challenge if they need to be always connected.
Mobile Networks will all tell you they have the best data coverage but as I’m sure we have all found out to our peril they all have blackspots and dead areas. Also, what happens if your chosen network goes down or there is cell site congestion? So why use one single network when you can use them all.
Whilst all networks are regularly investing in their networks to enhance and improve coverage, it does cause some users a challenge if they need to be always connected.
Multi-network roaming SIM cards are key to making sure your IoT or M2M solution is operating at maximum efficiency. They’re great for businesses trying to implement connectivity whilst on the move.
There are endless opportunities that arise for you if you are utilising sim cards that have multi-network capabilities. Industries including fleet management, telematics and GPS tracking are just a handful that benefit from this kind of solution.
At GPS Telecoms we now have a range of options that will allow you to make the best choice for your business on a range of different multi network roaming sims. This means that SIMs will be able to access all available networks and, as such, have a greater chance of finding a network signal for moving assets to connect too.
Whilst not every communications supplier offers a roaming SIM, they have actually been around for some time. They do come with a premium price tag (as you would probably expect) but they are available if you search around.
There is, however, a slight challenge with a lot of roaming SIMs available here in the UK and that’s that they are network-steered.
This means the SIM provider will have a preferential rate with a particular network which is substantially less than the rest and as such, the SIM will always try to connect with that network first, even though it may not offer the best signal at the time. In some instances, the SIM will search for the preferred network multiple times before it tries to find an alternative, which often means the device has no service at all as the SIM is tied up trying to access its preferred choice.
Another problem that this approach causes is lack of connectivity when the device moves to the edge of the coverage area of the SIM’s preferred network or there are capacity issues on a cell site. Despite the device moving into an area that is covered more strongly by another network, the SIM will cling onto its preferred network even if the signal strength is very weak, again meaning that your connected asset may not have any service.
Here at GPS Telecoms, we offer an alternative solution that takes away these issues. We now offer our customers a range of competitively priced SIM cards that are non-steered and don’t favour a specific mobile network. When they connect, they look for the network that offers them the best signal and therefore the best performance. If the mobile asset goes out of the coverage area for that network, it will look for the next available network that offers the best service. A great solution for anyone needing constant connectivity.
A Non-steered roaming SIM is often the preferred choice when it comes to IoT and M2M. As they aren’t steered to a specific network, users will find that their M2M solution performs noticeably better.
Not only can you make use of a roaming sim in the UK but we are also able to offer competitive solutions across the EU and World Wide. No longer is there a challenge when a customer is based on the border of Northern Ireland and the Republic.
One of the biggest benefits when it comes to multi-network roaming SIM cards is the ability to keep your mobile assets connected whilst on the move. Whether you’re a taxi, haulage company, on a train, boat or just have other assets that move around, they will be able to freely roam networks and you can have the peace of mind that you will not lose connectivity unless of course you are in an area with Zero cellular connectivity.
Our roaming sim solutions will keep you connected across the globe so if your IoT solution has a requirement to connect across multiple countries you will be able to ensure that you have all your business with one provider on one bill in one single management platform.
This is also a great option for failover devices. What’s the point in having a failover device if it’s dependent on a single network? In the last couple of months, we have seen two out of the four major mobile networks in the UK have massive outages where users have had zero service. If your business-critical connectivity fails and your failover network has an outage, it renders the failover service fairly useless. Your failover solution should be given the best chance possible to work and if it has the option to select from all available networks when needed, it has the very best chance of keeping your business running.
At GPS Telecoms, we also offer our roaming SIMs with managed connectivity, fixed IP or dynamic IP, UK roaming, EU roaming, complete flexibility on bundle sizes, and with competitive price points.
So, if critical connectivity is something that your business needs or you’d like to sell it to your end users, get in touch by calling the GPS Telecom team on 03330 093 677.
