Estonian telecom-independent cellular IoT connectivity provider 1oT has opened an office in Chicago.

Having been the first cellular connectivity provider for Uber’s Jump scooters, 1oT’s primary customer base and expertise will continue to be in the micromobility industry. With the opening of an office in Chicago, the company will be closer to its customer base in North America and aims to build a stronger presence in the region by accelerating cross-border business growth with its single eSIM card.

According to a Berg Insight’s study, the USA leads the way regarding the number of IoT deployments, despite the country’s telecommunications companies focusing mostly on private consumers, such as providing cellular data to cell phones and home internet services. This has left IoT companies with similar services to everyday consumers, which are not tailored to the IoT companies’ needs and therefore hinder their growth.

The IoT companies more known to the general public, such as scooter-sharing and shared vehicle companies, are generally not the end users of their products and services. Moreover, it is often unclear where in the world the devices will end up and what kind of telecommunications service they will require.

This is why the traditional cellular connectivity service people have for their mobile phones does not work for IoT use cases. For IoT devices to work, they need to be connected to the internet at all times, regardless of where they are in the world. Physically replacing the SIM card in the device every time it needs a different telecom profile is a huge operational expense for an IoT company, and an inconvenience for end users, as devices will experience downtime. With this in mind, more comprehensive connectivity that can cover the entire world is needed.

1oT has tailored its cellular connectivity offering specifically for IoT companies. It combines multiple pre-negotiated telecommunications deals on a single eSIM card, enabling accelerated business growth in North America and worldwide. That way, IoT companies can simplify their manufacturing processes and not worry about changing the physical SIM card inside the device, as all profile changes and troubleshooting are done over the air on a dynamic self-service SIM management platform.

“Our mission is to provide IoT companies with a modern cellular connectivity offering,” said Märt Kroodo, co-founder and CEO of 1oT. “The economy is moving towards efficiency and coherence, while the connectivity market in the USA has long been dominated by legacy telecom monopolies that lock IoT companies to a single service and SIM cards. As the IoT market booms, a new kind of approach is needed to support the IoT companies in the market. They need more than connectivity; they need flexibility in connectivity and technology that helps them keep up with day-to-day connectivity management processes.”

1oT is modernising the cellular connectivity market with its telecom-independent eSIM connectivity service, eliminating vendor lock-in and putting speed and flexibility at the heart of the IoT industry. Catered to the IoT market, such as for e-scooters, smart meters and smart homes, the company solves the complexity problems of operating in different markets and regions by gathering multiple telecoms deals on a single eSIM card.

The telecom-independent connectivity service provider has its own eSIM infrastructure and connectivity management platform. Today, 1.4 million IoT devices, from bird trackers to e-scooters, are using its connectivity services in 173 countries. The privately-held company was founded in the early 2010s and has been an active player in the global cellular connectivity market ever since.

“1oT is an innovative player in the cellular IoT connectivity market, offering UICC, eUICC, CMP and CMP licensing,” said Steffen Sorrell, chief of research at Kaleido Intelligence. “The company’s strategy is based on its desire to reduce the complexity associated with IoT deployments.”