Is Your Multi-IMSI Solution Really Multi-IMSI?

Global IoT businesses need global connectivity – fact. That means access to reliable, performant network coverage everywhere they do business. Multi-IMSI SIMs are a powerful tool that can get you there, but we’ve found that many people think they’re using a multi-IMSI solution, when in fact, they’re missing out on some of the most important benefits. 

Why is Connecting via a Local Network so Important, Anyway?

IoT devices have introduced a whole new era for connectivity. Unlike consumer devices, which either stay in one region, or spend a week or two a year in a new location, IoT devices can be manufactured in one country, fly to another, be shipped to a third, or even move between many dozens of different regions as part of their function. Think about logistics or telematics use cases, where sensors are tracking cargo as it moves from place to place, or fleets are by nature traveling from A-B. While roaming agreements were a good fit for consumer devices that returned to their home network in a matter of days or weeks, for an IoT device, this just doesn’t fit the bill. 

To solve this issue, connected enterprises started looking for a way to connect with local mobile network operators in the locations where they do business. Devices could connect to a local operator in-region, so that they never needed to return “home”, or be tied to costly roaming agreements. 

However, this opened a new challenge – how could businesses have relationships with mobile operators in every single location that they needed to have cellular IoT connectivity?

One SIM Card, Multiple Profiles

One thing was always clear. For connected devices to function properly, they needed to have a single subscriber identity module, more commonly known as a SIM. After all, devices are usually manufactured without an end location in mind, or move from place to place. It would be unfeasible to expect devices to switch carriers by switching out the physical SIM. 

Enter, the multi profile SIM. This kind of solution allows businesses to upload more than one profile on each SIM card, and these multiple profiles can be from different carriers and locations. Each profile holds an IMSI, which stands for international mobile subscriber identity. Through a single multi IMSI SIM, businesses can deploy devices anywhere. You may have heard of eUICC, or embedded universal integrated circuit card, which is the standard set by the GSMA to use for multi-profile SIM. Simply put, a single SIM card holds multiple IMSIs, and businesses can switch between profiles to get the best coverage and lowest costs. 

At first glance, it seems like this solves all the problems of connecting globally. In reality, not all multi-IMSI SIM cards are created equally. 

With multi-profile SIMs, businesses still need to enter into relationships with each mobile operator individually, adding a lot of operational complexity. Every single IMSI is hosted on its MNO’s core network, BSS and OSS, and so the MNO retains the control and visibility. If you have any issues with your devices, you’ll need to go speak to the MNO to get answers, which can’t help but impact the quality of service that you can provide. With no real-time visibility, you lose control over costs and security, too – and have to wait until after the fact to learn what’s happening with your own devices. 

Multi-IMSI technology can do so much more. 

Introducing Multi-IMSI Connectivity with a Single SKU

If your multi-IMSI solution involves entering into partnerships with multiple operators, and enduring a black box when it comes to network events and device data – it’s time to think again. 

At floLIVE, our customers can access global connectivity through a single SIM, but without the need for individual operator relationships. Connect through our innovative cloud-based connectivity management platform, and devices can automatically connect in-region and switch as necessary, obtaining local connectivity anywhere in the world via more than 15 existing integrations with mobile operators. Instead of relying on the MNOs’ core networks, benefit from floLIVE owning the whole tech stack, including our own, LOCAL core networks for the best possible performance, our own real-time billing system with a flexible rating engine, and our own SIM Managementsuite for total visibility and control. 

Psst: If you’re set on using eUICC, as the GSMA standard, you can eat your cake and have it too! floLIVE can sit happily in the first profile of an eUICC SIM, allowing you to connect to all our IMSIs without the need to engage individually with every operator around the world. If you want to benefit from our single SKU solution and our core network functionality, but you also want the flexibility to move elsewhere in the long-term, this is a great solution.

With floLIVE, as you have access to the Connectivity Management Platform (CMP), you can see in real-time details such as data usage, consumption, network events, and more. If you see a spike in usage, you can act on it immediately, uncovering security events, fraud or misuse and blocking them in real-time. As you set your security policies centrally, you can ensure end-to-end security enforcement for your whole device fleet, no matter where they are in the world. 

Unlike with a multi-network solution, a true multi-IMSI SIM allows you to autonomously switch from one carrier to another for any reason, such as latency constraints or cost considerations. At all times, you keep control of the wheel, without ceding autonomy to MNOs or any other stakeholders, which means: 

• Smarter troubleshooting: No more sitting on hold to any one of dozens of MNOs. Get full visibility into the core network, and fix issues in real-time. Hand this over to your own customers so they have the same transparency.
• Streamlined logistics: If every time you add a new region to your footprint, you need another contract, SLA and contact – it’s going to get prohibitively complex to expand. One vendor = one relationship. 
• Scalability at will: Large operators have their own operational considerations to contend with. If you ask them for millions of IMSIs, and then go back soon after to ask for more, they may not be able to accommodate your scale. Why keep to their implementation cycle when you can choose your own? Owning the core network and the SIMs means we can make that happen, without undue costs.
• Complexity of integrations: Not all operators are using the same processes and systems. Some may use Jasper, another Nokia and another Ericsson. Each integration will have different views, parameters, states and plans, instead of one single unified view globally. Our local core network infrastructure behaves the same way in any country or region, giving you that TRUE pane of glass. 

Make Sure Your Multi-IMSI isn’t Multi-headache

It’s not enough to use a standard like eUICC or multi network profiles, not if you want to retain flexibility, visibility and control over your connected business journey. For true global connectivity without the operational overheads and complexity, you need a single vendor to cover the world. 

floLIVE makes it simple, as one vendor with hundreds of local operator relationships around the world, allowing devices to access coverage anywhere globally from that all important single SIM, and with one centralized connectivity management platform to manage it all. 

Want a multi-IMSI solution that’s truly multi-IMSI? Speak to one of our experts to see how it works.