Cellular connectivity firm 1NCE has extended its service and support to telematics service providers to give coverage in more than 100 countries across all continents under a single flat rate per connected device of €10, a one-off, up-front connectivity fee for life.

The service connects devices over 2G, 3G, 4G and NB-IoT networks provided by tier-one carriers such as Deutsche Telekom and its roaming partners as well as China Telecom Global.

By using the IoT flat rate service, telematics service companies can reduce the total cost of their product. That is because the service eliminates the need to manage complex tariffs, to administer recurring payments for subscription services, or to manage different services from different network providers in different countries.

Instead, the 1NCE service just requires a single up-front payment of €10 per connected device for global connectivity with no roaming or other additional charges. By paying a single, low up-front fee for global connectivity, telematics device manufacturers can price and configure their service to customers globally with confidence.

In addition, the connectivity service is backed by cloud technology that makes commissioning of a device’s sim, centralised control of connected devices, and network configuration quick and easy to implement. An API allows direct implementation of 1NCE’s SIM card management functions into users’ own applications.

The 1NCE IoT Connectivity Suite, already included in the price, also provides deep integration with the Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud service, providing for easy management of telematics devices operating via the AWS cloud.

“Fleet managers are looking for predictable pricing and reliable service from providers of telematics services such as asset tracking and consignment data logging,” said Arne Assmann, head of strategy and development at 1NCE. “The IoT flat rate service from 1NCE provides the surest way to achieve reliability and predictability when connecting telematics black boxes. It gives gold-standard connectivity thanks to the coverage provided by tier-one companies such as Deutsche Telekom, and the one-time €10 fee gives telematics companies certainty about the cost of connectivity for the device’s lifetime.”

The flat rate is endorsed by Italy-based Targa Telematics, which uses the service to connect fleets operated by car rental or leasing companies, car manufacturers and large companies, as well as to provide services to insurance companies and airport service operators.

“When monitoring over 500,000 connected systems, mostly vehicles from the major car rental and leasing companies as well as shared fleets and airport handlers, data availability is crucial to guarantee the best service to our customers,” said Alberto Falcione, vice president for sales at Targa Telematics. “1NCE has been proven to provide IoT connectivity that meets our high expectations in terms of flexibility, reliability and worldwide coverage.”

The flat rate service provides continuous connectivity for €10 for ten years. It provides 500Mbyte of data and 250 SMS messages. The data allowance can be topped up at any time for an additional €10.