Connectivity and 5G enabler BICS has partnered with fellow Belgian company Telcofan, a consultancy and system integrator, to support the delivery of private networks for businesses.

The partnership should solve many technical problems associated with connecting IoT devices to private networks, such as initial setup and ensuring consistent connectivity for travelling devices.

By collaborating with BICS, Telcofan will provide its customers with SIMs and eSIMs for their connected devices, such as smart factory components or tracking chips for shipping pallets. Thanks to an accompanying SIM management platform, organisations will be able to set up and manage multiple connected devices flexibly in real time.

BICS and Telcofan are also empowering eSIMs to roam more easily between public and private networks as well as use national public networks as a backup. The collaboration means organisations can more easily implement use cases that require end-to-end connectivity, such as asset tracking and mission-critical applications.

This also eliminates the need for complex operator agreements, helping enterprises avoid network lock-in and enabling devices to roam freely across global networks. BICS and Telcofan will provide SIMs ready to connect out-of-box, so businesses can focus on innovating without the hassles of setup and connectivity configuration.

“Private networks, particularly in the case of 5G, promise to transform businesses like manufacturing and logistics, but technical complexity can be a barrier to adoption,” said Lieven Vanthomme, managing director of Telcofan (www.telcofan.be). “Alongside BICS, Telcofan is making it easier than ever with one SIM, with one unique identity, to use on your private network or even an operator network.”

Businesses across various industries including manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and security are increasingly looking to adopt private mobile networks to connect on-site technology such as machines and IoT devices. Private networks promise to deliver more consistent connectivity and greater security. Yet setting them up can be tricky, and this initial hurdle is often hard to surpass. These networks are, by definition, fairly bespoke, so an integrator such as Telcofan must be able to meet different technical requirements while making setup as seamless as possible for its customers.

This collaboration is the latest in a string of developments from BICS closing the connectivity gap for businesses deploying technology such as the IoT and private networks. Through collaborations such as this as well as with other players in the space such as Microsoft, Thales and Able Device, BICS says it is simplifying the enterprise IoT landscape and removing technical barriers for businesses looking to improve the efficiency and security of their operations across a multitude of industries.

“As businesses look to leverage next-gen technology like M2M and IoT, companies like BICS and Telcofan can help handle connectivity requirements without enterprises having to plunge into the world of telco,” said Divya Ghai Wakankar, vice president at BICS (www.bics.com). “With BICS and Telcofan, businesses now have access to a global SIM, eSIM and a platform that makes connecting devices simple, from network roaming through to SIM provisioning.”