BICS: 5G device connectivity unlocks new IoT use cases

BICS, a global voice operator and mobile data services provider, has added 5G connectivity to its SIM for Things solution, enabling companies, OEMs and hardware manufacturers to unlock new use cases for connected devices. The announcement was made at Mobile World Congress in Shanghai.

Currently, the company supports 5G device connections in Canada and Taiwan, with plans to add up to 50 locations by the end of 2021, the company said. BICSSIMforThis already supports 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, LTE-M and NBIoT, giving businesses access to more than 700 mobile networks worldwide. It provides reliable borderless connectivity with local multi-network coverage in more than 200 countries.

BICS' SIMforThis solution includes physical and virtual SIM cards equipped with self-management capabilities and real-time quality of service data analytics. This enables enterprises to seamlessly deploy and efficiently control large numbers of thousands or even millions of SIM-embedded endpoints.

“We have enabled millions of devices with IoT connectivity around the world, and overall we have enabled hundreds of millions of data-centric devices (smartphones, tablets, MiFis) worldwide. While the majority of these devices still have 2G/3G/4G chipsets today, we expect strong growth in 5G-enabled devices in the future as devices are continually upgraded with the latest cellular technology,” Mikael Schachne, Vice President of Mobile and IoT Business at BICS, told FutureIoT.

Schachne said turnkey access to 5G networks through the BICS-SIM-for-Things solution will be seamless for deployed devices that are already 5G-enabled.

“Existing 3G/4G devices that need to be upgraded to 5G can simply be re-booted with a new cellular module without changing the SIM card profile. We also expect that many new IoT projects will use brand new 5G hardware from the outset, so such upgrades will become less frequent for these devices.”

BICS is currently in discussions with all major mobile operators who have launched 5G in their respective countries to expand SIMForThings 5G device connectivity in these markets.

“With Asia certainly leading the world in 5G deployment, we expect to announce further agreements in a number of locations across the region in the coming weeks and months, including China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia,” Schachne said.

Free up space for the Internet of Things

As connectivity is fundamental to IoT, BICS believes that adding 5G to its plug-and-play solution will usher in a new generation of IoT use cases. This will unlock new capabilities for OEMs and hardware manufacturers, allowing businesses to further innovate in the IoT space.

BICS said the IoT SIM enhancements will enable new IoT use cases such as video surveillance, video calling and on-site maintenance of industrial assets with live video streaming, relying on the power of 5G networks for data-intensive, ultra-wideband, low-latency communications.

According to a Juniper Research report, Mordor Intelligence predicts that by 2026, the global IoT market will reach $1.38 trillion, driving more than 83 billion IoT devices. The increase in 5G connections will significantly promote the growth of the IoT, supporting a wide range of applications that require consistent, reliable and secure managed connections in areas such as logistics, automotive, manufacturing, public safety, security and healthcare.

“We are seeing strong growth in demand in the logistics, mobility (including automotive) and security sectors. 5G also opens the door to Factory 2.0, facilitating automation, production efficiency, quality control, tracking and storage. In this area, we also foresee the launch of many private 5G networks that BICSSIM can enable, acting as a bridge between private and public mobile networks. As a result, BICS is extending its relationships with major original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and manufacturers of semiconductors or electronic components, who embed BICSSIM directly into connected devices.”