Frequently Asked Questions

What is 1oT?

1oT is a carrier independent cellular connectivity provider for IoT & M2M devices.

We act as an aggregator of many carrier (telecom) services. Our client is the one who needs to sell or provide its service in different countries and doesn’t want to deal with different carrier integrations, SIM cards, SIM configurations and invoices. 1oT provides its clients with one invoice, one connectivity management platform and one SIM/eSIM solution, helping them to concentrate on their main business.

What does carrier independent mean?

Consider us as your connectivity department. We are not a carrier (mobile network operator) ourselves and do not force our own roaming deals or packages on you. Instead, we have gathered many pre-negotiated carrier deals under one roof and due to volume discounts get a better deal from carriers than you would get. We are fully independent in our decision making and will pick the best deal for your use case.

As of today we are reselling 13 different carrier deals, including Vodafone, Play, JT, and Telefonica.

What network technologies and countries do you support?

1oT provides 2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IoT & Cat-M1 coverage in over 190 countries. You can see the full coverage map here.

How is 1oT different from the other connectivity providers?

We are the market leader and the only provider offering a truly independent eSIM (eUICC) solution for the IoT & M2M sector. We are not a mobile network operator (carrier) ourselves and will help you pick the best deal for your use case.

In addition to being truly independent and offering a complete end-to-end global connectivity solution, we believe that the biggest differentiator is our no corporate BS policy. We hate hidden fees and complicated contracts. 1oT has bold ambitions to disrupt the global IoT connectivity sphere and help IoT scale globally with a single connectivity service.

Thirdly, we take great pride in our competences with hardware and being able to assist our customers with deployments.

What's an example of a 1oT use case?

Think about a company that manages a fleet of vehicles. They need to track where their devices are to manage their operations. It used to be that the company would need to contact a carrier and work through a lengthy sales process. After that, they would have to continuously negotiate rates as the fleet scales.

Now think about the same fleet manager who wants to scale to neighboring countries. The company would need to repeat this process with yet another carrier in every country.

What’s the story of 1oT?

We are part of, and co-founded by Mobi Solutions Group which among other things was a key developer of the original Skype mobile application (via Mobi Lab), as well as launching the mobile payments service Fortumo, (backed by Intel Capital), and Messente, the SMS service provider. The group has brought numerous internationally successful telecommunications and IT services to the market.

In early 2016, Mobi Solutions Group joined forces with Märt Kroodo, an IoT enthusiast & experienced entrepreneur, and founded 1oT to disrupt global connectivity for the IoT sector.

Originating in Estonia, we have since expanded our offices to the UK (London) and Germany (Berlin).

Where do I go to get help?

We recommend you to start off by going through frequently asked questions. Also, our blog contains a lot of useful information about getting started with cellular connectivity.

Outside of that, you can write to us at any time. We'll reply shortly.

PS! All of our customers will have a dedicated account manager to support with issues.

Why should IoT device manufacturers consider cellular connectivity?

There are multiple reasons why cellular connectivity (2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IoT, Cat-M1) is the best choice for device manufacturers.

Availability: cellular networks are globally widespread and ubiquitous. A cellular subscription also allows you to roam on different network carriers, meaning the coverage is not limited to a specific area, city, or country.
Security: cellular technology has been maturing for 50+ years now. All the solutions are GSMA certified and accepted by all global carriers. Therefore, other technologies cannot match the reliability that cellular offers.
Range: WiFi and Bluetooth could be useful for high bandwidth applications, but don't reach far enough for long-distance communications. With a cellular network, your IoT or M2M devices can connect to a cell tower from a few dozen miles away.
Cost: Carriers have made heavy investments into cellular networks to provide secure, reliable service to as many customers as possible.

What connectivity options do IoT device manufacturers have?

IoT connectivity options can be divided into three main categories: Cellular Connectivity, Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN), and Short Range.

Cellular Connectivity

Is the best fit for IoT applications that needs to connect over long distances with the most reliable connectivity. 2G, 3G, & 4G networks have been proven to provide global coverage no matter where the IoT device ends up. Cellular is a universal solution but consumes a lot of battery.

Low Power Wide Area Networks (LPWAN)

LPWAN technologies can be divided into licensed (NB-IoT, LTE-M) and unlicensed (SigFox and LoRaWan) technologies.

NB-IoT and LTE-M provide you with standardised connectivity.

SigFox and LoRaWan are dependent on gateways that need to be set up either by yourself or through someone else's solution, which might not be reliable.

LPWAN provides better power-saving possibilities than Cellular Connectivity but is only used for sending small amounts of data.

Short Range

This category includes Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave, WiFi, NFC, and others. As the name suggests, it's only used for short-range IoT devices, not exceeding one building.

Short Range Technologies can have a better battery life but come with limited coverage areas.

For more information about different solutions, visit our blog.

What is NB-IoT (Cat-NB1) and LTE-M (Cat-M1)? Why should I use them?

NB-IoT and LTE-M are new LPWAN technologies built on top of cellular networks infrastructure, providing you with reliable coverage with very low power consumption.

LPWAN is mainly meant for IoT devices with low data consumption and high latency tolerance.

Currently, the deployments around these technologies are ongoing, and also roaming agreements are not yet set in place. This makes NB-IoT and LTE-M not the best global solutions quite yet.

We advise you to read more about roaming restrictions and fallback solutions before you proceed with your deployments.

What should I consider before choosing a connectivity provider?

The most important thing before choosing a connectivity provider is to understand the needs of your deployment.

Key things to consider:

Do you need global coverage? Or will your devices be deployed in one particular country?
How much data does the device consume monthly?
What kind of control do I need over the SIM cards? In some cases, for example, having complete control of SIMs over API is a must. In some cases, it's not that critical.

Why is roaming essential for IoT?

Roaming guarantees global connectivity. A global SIM/eSIM will allow you to connect the device to the Internet in any country where it is being used. For devices that are continually changing countries such as delivery trucks, roaming is a must to guarantee a seamless connection.

Sometimes during the manufacturing process, it's not known yet where the device will end up. Hence you need one SIM to provide connectivity in multiple countries.

If you want to know how roaming works, check out our blog post.

What is the permanent roaming restriction?

Roaming restrictions are imposed by country regulators or networks and only allow a SIM to roam for a limited period in one particular country. Once the device reaches that limit, it is automatically kicked out of the network. This is a significant concern for IoT devices which are supposed to roam in a country for many years.

As of today, Brazil, India, Turkey, and Canada have the strictest regulatory restrictions in place to prevent permanent roaming.

Which SIM card to choose?

The size and type of SIM you need to select depends on the device's purpose, functionality, and space available to host a SIM card or chip.

There are two types of SIM cards:

Traditional SIM (UICC), which can be either plastic SIM card (2FF, 3FF and 4FF) or a chip SIM (MFF2) that is soldered onto the circuit board during production.
eSIM (eUICC), which also can be either plastic eSIM card (2FF, 3FF and 4FF) or a chip SIM (MFF2)

In which countries are 1oT SIMs available? Do you have global coverage?

1oT SIMs come with global coverage in over 190 countries. See the global map with coverage here.

What types of SIM do you offer?

There are two types of SIM cards that we offer:

Traditional SIM (UICC), which can be either plastic SIM card (2FF, 3FF and 4FF) or a chip SIM (MFF2) that is soldered onto the circuit board during production.
eSIM (eUICC), which also can be either plastic eSIM card (2FF, 3FF and 4FF) or a chip SIM (MFF2)

How do I get SIM cards?

To get started you have to order the SIMs from us. If you're at a very early stage, we can offer you a 2-month test kit with 2 SIMs.

If you are operating at a bigger scale and know what you need, please contact our sales team for a customized offer.

And if you don't know what you need, don’t hesitate to contact us to figure out your needs and best solution.

How does billing work? And what payment methods do you accept?

Billing and payment methods

We believe you should only pay for the data you consume. So, we offer monthly billing that you can cancel any time.
We have a monthly billing cycle for fees: for example, if you change SIM status from LIVE to CLOSED in mid-month, then you still pay the agreed monthly fee in that particular month.
Supported payment methods are Paypal, credit card, and manual invoices.

Packages

We do offer flexibility with data packages. You can choose from per MB pricing, fixed data packages, or data pools.

Will my hardware work with your SIMs? What hardware works with 1oT SIMs and 1oT eSIMs?

1oT SIM: traditional SIMs (UICC) work in every device.
1oT eSIM: with eSIM (eUICC) your cellular hardware module needs to support Bearer Independent Protocol (BIP) and SIM ToolKit (STK) for remote SIM provisioning. Read more about it here.

All of our SIM cards are produced according to the GSMA standards.

What kind of control do I have over my SIMs?

You can have full control over your SIMs via our connectivity management platform called 1oT Terminal.

The platform allows you to manage 1oT SIMs and 1oT eSIMs and set up value-added services like APIs, notifications, or even swap carriers on the 1oT eSIM. Additionally, you can change the status of SIMs, set data limits, see all data sessions, group your SIMs/eSIMs, tag your SIMs/eSIMs, etc.

To see 1oT Terminal in action, please see video here.

What kind of overview do I have of my SIMs?

You will have a full overview of your SIMs data usage. See when and where your SIMs have had data/SMS sessions, how much data they use, and which carrier networks they use.

Do you support API?

Yes, we do! You can manage all of your subscriptions and daily activities through our powerful API (RESTful, of course). To get the integration running smoothly, you can rely on our robust Swagger documentation in 1oT Terminal.

How do I send SMS to my devices?

SMS can be sent either through 1oT Terminal or via API.

Do 1oT SIMs & 1oT eSIMs support Voice calls?

By default it is not supported.

We provide Voice on a case-to-case basis. Feel free to contact us if you have a unique use-case.

How do I activate SIMs?

SIMs can be activated either through 1oT Terminal or via API. We can also do it for you if needed.

How do I set the APN?

Setting the APN is device-specific. Take a look at your device documentation. For more information see our blog post or if you are having technical difficulties contact us to solve them ASAP.

How does the SIM choose which network to connect?

The SIM card will choose the network with the best signal. The SIM connects to a network automatically – you don't have to do anything.

Can I close my SIMs?

Of-course. You can close your SIMs for good at any time you want. There are no extra fees or obligations. You will only pay for the last active month.

What if my SIMs are inactive, are there any costs?

We have created different statuses for the SIM:

LIVE: Active SIM. Data & SMS (& voice) services are working. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
SLEEP: SIM is turned off (no network connection). Can be re-activated. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
OFFLINE: Services turned off (for temporary purposes). Can be re-activated. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
CLOSED: SIM is closed for good and cannot be re-activated. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API

We offer SLEEP status to keep your costs under control during inactive periods (when you don't need to use your SIMs/eSIMs). Putting your SIM to SLEEP status means that there are no data costs, and the usual monthly Package Fees don't apply. You only pay for the SLEEP status fee, which is significantly lower than the monthly Package Fee when your SIM is in LIVE status.

Where do I get help during the times of connectivity issues?

Our team is always ready to help. Every customer of ours will have a dedicated Account Manager. Also, we have in-house hardware specialists prepared to support you through hardware malfunctions.

Can I bring my existing SIMs to 1oT for SIM management?

In case your existing SIMs are running on Ericsson DCP or Cisco Jasper platform, then it is possible to manage your existing SIMs that are not provided by 1oT through 1oT Terminal.

Please note that extra fees will apply on top and this is a paid service.

Contact our Sales team to make the process as smooth as possible.

What is eSIM?

eSIM is the future technology of SIM cards. Technically known as eUICC, eSIM is an unlocked SIM card that enables you to swap carrier (mobile network operator) services “over-the-air” securely and at a push of a button. You can choose one mobile carrier service today (mobile carrier I) and decide to swap to another one tomorrow (mobile carrier II), without changing the physical SIM.

eSIM technology was launched in 2014 and is standardised by GSMA, the rooftop organisation gathering all carriers (mobile network operators) in the world.

What benefits does eSIM provide for IoT/M2M devices?

eSIM is changing the game for IoT/M2M in two main areas.

Firstly, securing (more) local data rates no matter where your devices end up.

Secondly, managing the carrier (mobile network operator) profiles for devices that are in hard to access areas. The ability to remotely (over-the-air) swap the network operator profile is paramount since it might be impossible or costly to access the SIM card. Besides, eSIM addresses other issues, such as permanent roaming restrictions (countries that do not allow to roam over 30 or 90 days in the country) and having a global solution for NB-IoT/LTE-M (as currently roaming in NB-IoT/LTE-M is not supported or standardised).

What's the difference between SIM and eSIM?

Physically both SIMs look the same. eSIM (eUICC) and traditional SIM (UICC) come in the form of a solderable chip-SIM (MFF2) as well as the standard plastic SIM card (mini, micro & nano-SIM).

The core feature that sets eSIM (eUICC) apart from traditional SIM (UICC) cards is the ability to change and host multiple network operators without the hassle of changing SIM cards physically. In the case of negative price changes or quality issues with a particular network, you can switch to a carrier service that best fits your needs over the air. You can read more about the differences from here.

Can I replace my current SIMs with eSIM?

Yes, you can. eSIM is available in the same formats as regular SIM cards. So the switch to eSIM is simple. One thing to keep in mind is that to enjoy eSIMs full functionality your cellular hardware needs to support it as well. Read more about eSIM supported hardware .

Do my old SIMs have eSIM capabilities?

Unfortunately no. eSIM cards look the same but have different software running on them which can not be updated over the air. If you are interested in switching to eSIMs get in touch with us.

What are the hardware requirements for eSIM?

Your cellular hardware module needs to support Bearer Independent Protocol (BIP) and SIM ToolKit (STK) for remote SIM provisioning. We have covered the topic in more detail in our blog, where we have also listed cellular modules that support eSIM already.

What formats does 1oT eSIM come in?

1oT offers eSIM in 2FF (mini), 3FF (micro), 4FF (nano) and MFF2 form factors.

We can support you with commercial, industrial, and automotive grade eSIMs on all the mentioned form factors.

How does eSIM work? How can I swap carriers on eSIM?

You can swap carriers over-the-air, without touching physical SIM cards. You can choose one mobile carrier service today (carrier I) and decide to swap to another one tomorrow (carrier II), and you can do it as often as you wish.

eSIM comes with one Default Carrier (bootstrap profile) which provides the first network connection for downloading new additional carriers onto and deleting old carriers from the eSIM (eUICC). Several different carriers can be downloaded on an eUICC, but only one can be active at any given time.

Can I choose whichever carrier I want to 1oT eSIM?

No, you cannot. In the case of eSIM, there needs to be a "middle-man" or aggregator who puts together a pool of different carriers to choose from. That is why you need an independent service provider like 1oT who has gathered multiple carriers under one eSIM infrastructure, has negotiated commercial deals and completed integrations with those carriers.

1oT eSIM was launched in 2019. Currently, 1oT eSIM is offering 5 different mobile carriers to choose from, but we are adding new carriers to the pool on a monthly basis. Our plan is not to have hundreds of local carrier deals for each country in the world. We'd rather provide one good carrier deal per region/continent and address countries with permanent roaming restrictions separately with local deals (Brazil, India & Canada).

Reach out to our sales for more up-to-date information.

Who is manufacturing 1oT eSIM?

Similarly to BIG4 auditing companies, there are four big eSIM/SIM manufacturers in the world: Valid, Thales (previously known as Gemalto), IDEMIA (previously known as Oberthur Technologies) and G+D Mobile Security.

1oT eSIM cards are manufactured by Valid, the 60+ year old Brazilian listed company (B³: VLID3 - ON). Valid has more than 6,000 employees in 17 countries generating revenue of $474 Million in 2018. Today, Valid is the largest issuer of identification documents in Brazil, one of the top producers of SIM cards in the world, and among the world’s largest manufacturers of
banking cards. To learn more, visit www.valid.com.

How do I swap carriers on 1oT eSIM?

To swap carriers you need a Remote SIM Provisioning platform. We have developed 1oT Terminal, which gives you full eSIM subscription management functionalities along with the billing, changing status and location information.

If you want to know more about 1oT Terminal and eSIM take a look here.

Are NarrowBand IoT (CAT-NB1) and LTE-M (CAT-M1) supported via eSIM?

Yes, they are. You can enable NB-IoT or LTE-M profiles on a eSIM. It makes it easy for your device to achieve LPWAN (Low-Power Wide-Area Network) support without any changes to the physical eSIM. You can start with a 2G/3G/4G profile and later swap it to a NB-IoT/LTE-M carrier deal.

Does 1oT eSIM support SMS?

Yes, almost all provided carriers offered on 1oT eSIM support SMS.

Does 1oT eSIM support Voice calls?

By default, we have turned off Voice service on carriers we offer on 1oT eSIM. However, most carriers are actually supporting Voice and this service can be activated on special use cases.

Please contact sales for precise information.

Can I bring my existing eSIMs to 1oT Terminal?

Yes, GSMA, the carrier's rooftop organisation that created eSIM specs, has mandated the interoperability very strictly, which ensures that any eSIM management platform may manage eSIMs from any manufacturers.

Don’t hesitate to contact us to start the process.

What’s the difference between Soft SIM and eSIM?

There's great confusion between Soft SIM and eSIM (eUICC). The purpose of the two is the same — over the air carrier swapping. But contrary to eSIM that comes with physical eSIM (either mini, micro, nano or MFF2), Soft SIM solution doesn't have a physical SIM card. All the provisioning information on a Soft SIM is stored in the memory of the device. Although getting rid of the phycal part of the SIM is great, it makes Soft SIMs more exposed to hacking and malfunction.

The eSIM solution is standardised by GSMA, the rooftop organisation gathering all carriers in the world. Therefore, it is acknowledged and approved by all carriers in the world. You can dive deeper into the topic here.

How is Consumer eSIM different than IoT/M2M eSIM?

You have probably heard about new mobile phones and smart watches being equipped with eSIM. It's the Consumer eSIM that those devices come with and it differs from the eSIM technology tailored for IoT and M2M use cases (M2M eSIM). The architecture and standardisation of these two eSIMs are different.

The main difference is that the Consumer eSIM is a "Pull" model where the end-user has the ability to manage & activate new carriers on a need basis (through scanning QR codes). M2M eSIMs apply a "Push" model where the device owner or service provider would push the carrier changes onto the eSIM.

Does 1oT provide eSIM for consumer devices like mobile phones and tablets?

At the moment, 1oT eSIM is strictly tailored for IoT/M2M use cases. So we do not provide eSIM carriers for the consumer use cases (mobile phones, tablets, smart watches).

What is 1oT Terminal?

1oT Terminal is a self-service connectivity management platform.

The platform allows you to manage 1oT SIMs and 1oT eSIMs and set up value-added services like APIs, notifications, or even swap carriers on 1oT eSIM. Additionally, you can change the status of SIMs, set data limits, see all data sessions, group your SIMs/eSIMs, tag your SIMs/eSIMs, etc. To see 1oT Terminal in action, please see the video here.

What does self-service platform mean?

Self-service means that you are in charge and do not need our assistance to control your SIM cards via 1oT Terminal. We believe that handling your devices' connectivity should be as simple as possible, needs to be automated and ready to be integrated via API with your core business infrastructure.

But, of course, we are always available and ready to assist you in case you need it.

What are the main things I can control via 1oT Terminal?

Everyone can utilize the essential toolkit necessary for handling device connectivity. These include:

Our intuitive dashboard that gives a bird's-eye view of primary KPIs about device data usage
Maintain full control over your SIM statuses - turn them offline when not using to keep costs down; reset SIMs when experiencing network issues; activate SIMs once they've been tested in the production cycle and close SIMs that have been stolen to avoid fraudulent actions
Grouping SIMs by device, country, or end-user to structure your connectivity needs. This allows for applying changes to specific use cases, such as all SIMs in a particular country or the same devices that need a firmware update via SMS.
Setting data limits is a great way to ensure that devices won't exceed predetermined limits
Detailed data sessions are useful when debugging or analyzing usage. Track down those small 1kb sessions to spot malfunctioning devices and utilize this for debugging

See a short 1-minute overview video.

How to activate the 1oT SIMs?

You can activate SIM cards through 1oT Terminal or API. And you'll receive access to the 1oT Terminal along with your first order of 1oT SIM or 1oT eSIM cards.

What are the different SIM statuses?

We have created different statuses for 1oT SIMs and 1oT eSIMs:

LIVE: Active SIM. Data & SMS (& voice) services are working. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
SLEEP: SIM is turned off (no network connection). Can be re-activated. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
OFFLINE: Services turned off (for temporary purposes). Can be re-activated. Applies when a SIM reaches its data limit or when the action is triggered by the client from 1oT Terminal or API
CLOSED: SIM is closed for good and cannot be re-activated. Action triggered from 1oT Terminal or API
SHIPPING: indicates that 1oT SIM or 1oT eSIM is on its way to you. 0-cost applies.

A way to save on monthly data cost is to use SLEEP status, which will be useful if your devices are bound to sit inactively for more than a month.

What does a 'SIM Reset' do?

A SIM reset is like a refresh of the SIM card that you can do via 1oT Terminal. It will disconnect any active connection and behave as if the device was restarted, like it's the first time trying to connect to (roaming) networks. Once the reset is complete the SIM will initiate a network attach process. It also re-sets the APN at the network level.

Can I send firmware update (or similar) commands to my devices through SMS in your platform?

Yes. Depending on how you've configured your device, it can receive SMSs and also interpret them as commands. You can also do it via API.

What functions does 1oT Terminal have and is it all free of charge?

1oT Terminal comes with base services and separate 1oT Terminal Apps as value-added tools.

Base services are free of charge (included in your SIM Package Fee), but 1oT Terminal Apps are separately paid services with monthly subscriptions (usually per SIM based).

Example of base services (free of charge)

Setting data limits
Overview of your SIMs
Grouping SIMs
Detailed data & SMS sessions
SIM status changes

Example of 1oT Terminal Apps (separate monthly subscriptions per app)

Notifications
API
KPI Reporting
Future Events

All of our 1oT Terminal Apps can be found in the 1oT Terminal with explanations of how they work. If you'd like to activate an app, it's as simple as clicking a button, no additional details necessary.

Why aren’t 1oT Terminal Apps part of the base services of the platform?

Similarly to our smartphones you are downloading 1oT Terminal Apps one-by-one that cater your business needs. IoT companies with different sizes and use cases have different needs for connectivity management. Functionality that you need today will probably change in the future. So why should you pay for the full spectrum of services if you are not using it all? 1oT Terminal Apps allows you to activate only those value-added tools that you actually need.

What are the most popular 1oT Terminal Apps?

Our clients mostly use:

API
Notifications for receiving alerts to email and through API.
Productivity Toolkit for easier management of SIMs.
Slack integration for receiving all notifications to a Slack channel.
Clients View that enables you to create sub-accounts for your clients and dictate what information they have access to.

Do the 1oT Terminal Apps cost extra?

Yes, most of the 1oT Terminal Apps come at an additional charge (monthly subscription). The pricing generally depends on the number of SIM cards you have, e.g., with 100 SIMs, the monthly cost of using notifications is 4€ per month (0.04€ per active SIM). This way the cost is relative to your connectivity usage and you’ll only be paying for active SIMs.

Why do I have to pay extra for 1oT Terminal Apps?

We believe that secretly baking the cost of these things into megabyte pricing is unfair to you. Also, these 1oT Terminal Apps are not offered on similar platforms. The 1oT Terminal Apps allow you to save time and money like no other management system.

Can I test out 1oT Terminal Apps before paying anything?

Yes, the apps come free for the first few months. It allows you to get a better understanding of the usefulness of the apps before paying anything.

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