Dear Roaming… This Valentine’s Day, We Need to Talk.

There’s no doubt that we have serious history. Do you remember, all the way back in the year 2000, when the first ever commercial General Packet Radio Service was launched? Back then, in the flushes of first romance, we thought our love would last forever. The truth is, when all I had to consider was mobile subscribers – we might have made sense. But today, I have to be honest. I’ve got other responsibilities to consider, and as I just can’t stop thinking about IoT, some things need to change.

IoT: Our Love is One for the Ages

I know, you’re worried that IoT has come along, all young and shiny and turned my head. But, roaming? When you know – you know. It’s more than love at first sight between IoT and me, it’s the real deal. For some time now, your connectivity just hasn’t been enough for me. I’m sure you can see what I mean if you think about it. IoT devices are world travellers, manufactured in far-off lands and then being deployed anywhere around the globe. They’re unique in how they look and act, and are superheroes of the cellular connectivity world, tracking and monitoring, and alerting, with eyes everywhere, and powering some of the most critical industries of this generation. It’s enough to make anyone swoon.

The Truth is, IoT Has to Come First with Us

Don’t worry, I’m not breaking up with you, I would never do that – you know how important it is to me to be able to have access to connectivity all around the globe. In fact, if you really think about it, I’m looking to take things to the next level.

Now that I have IoT to consider, I want more loyalty in our relationship, not these agreements that take us only three months into the future, and then demand that we part again. I know, you’ll say you have restrictions, that you can’t just offer me forever, but if you truly care about me, you’ll make it happen. I’m talking permanent roaming, suitable for IoT devices that need commitment measured in years rather than days or weeks. In terms that you’ll understand, I’m looking for you to put a ring on it.

Next, I need you to be better at keeping secrets. How can I be sure that all the information I tell you is staying between us, and you’re not spilling the tea about my data with all the countries you’re sharing a relationship with? Trust is so essential in any partnership, and I need you to do better. Take my EU data for example – it needs to stay in the EU. That’s a deal-breaker for me, in fact my friend GDPR says I need to demand it.  

Come on Roaming, No More Hot and Cold

If this is going to work between us, I need you to be more reliable. Sometimes you offer me great availability, and then at other times…. I feel like you aren’t there at all. Don’t I deserve consistency, no matter where we are in the world? If I need you, whether I’m calling on 4G, 5G, LPWAN or any other cellular device technology, you need to show up for me, with nothing less than your best levels of performance.

And that’s another thing. You could be a bit more supportive. Allow me my self-care, you don’t always have to rush in and try to fix everything yourself, sometimes I want to be in control of troubleshooting my own situation after all. Let me choose what I consider to be a crisis, and what can wait a few days to be dealt with. But when push comes to shove, if I really need help – I’m expecting 24/7 support, not an automated response that tells me to wait until business hours. I mean, how am I supposed to know that you care?

This Valentine’s Day… Can You Step Up, and Be the Connectivity Solution I Know You Can Be?

I’m not expecting you to do this all by yourself. I know that it’s a lot to ask. You might need to make some serious changes to make this happen. We might even need to let other entities into our relationship. I’ve been giving it some thought, and here are a few ideas:

A global IMSI library: I’m ready to travel the world, with my sights on 180 locations around the globe. You always promised you’d help me see it all, and now’s your chance with a single integration that makes the world our oyster.

Local breakouts: This would really take the strain off our long-distance relationship. In fact, I see our devices growing old together, as latency is so minimal, battery life is a long and happy one. 

Autonomous Switching: : No more suspicious gaps in your availability, I can make sure that you’re always here for me, whenever I call. Via a local network in every country, network switching means our love will be always on. Let’s say goodbye to 3 month relationships, and make it permanent between us.

Oh roaming, I hope you don’t mind me being honest this Valentine’s Day. I can’t live without IoT, so I need you to do more to keep the spark alive. If you can just take these few elements of our relationship to the next level, I can see us going the distance, in an IoT-enabled future.

Looking to get the excitement back in your own roaming relationship, and feel that first flush of love again? Let’s schedule a call and we can help you get there