Belgian communications enabler BICS has joined forces with technology provider Avnet Silica to deliver IoT connectivity to OEMs, devices and applications.
 
The collaboration will let Avnet Silica directly embed 2G, 3G, 4G, NB-IoT, LTE-M and Cat-M1 connectivity via BICS’s SIM for Things IoT offering. This should accelerate the deployment of low-power wide area networks (LPWANs) by solving technical, operational and commercial problems, helping hardware manufacturers deploy IoT services around the world.
 
Leveraging BICS’s global network and eUICC technology, Avnet Silica’s customers can connect their IoT devices to more than 700 mobile operators around the world, and easily switch networks depending on quality and coverage.
 
“Manufacturers can quickly benefit from NB-IoT and LTE-M technology, which lowers power consumption, eases provisioning and creates new commercial opportunities,” said Guillaume Crinon, global IoT strategy manager at Avnet.
 
Mobile operators can capitalise on the opportunity to provide connectivity to more devices by opening up their networks to support the surging IoT demand. An increasing number of mobile operators have partnered with BICS to support M2M connectivity, with BICS being able to offer NB-IoT and LTE-M connectivity in more than 30 countries worldwide.
 
“Thanks to our work with BICS, we’re able to enhance our offering for OEMs and IoT partners, and ensure our customers can choose the best cellular connectivity requirements for their individual needs virtually anywhere in the world,” said Cyrille Saulet, sales leader and eUICC programme manager at Avnet Silica. “The addition of LPWAN connectivity such as NB-IoT and LTE-M gives us a complete tool box to accelerate and expand IoT adoption, by being able to design smart and flexible connectivity for our customers’ connected devices.”
 
Gartner predicts by the end of this year there will be 5.8 billion enterprise and automotive IoT endpoints, a 21% increase from 2019. BICS and Avnet Silica’s partnership could be the next step in facilitating deployment of IoT projects for enterprises, providing instant, secure connectivity for their devices.
 
“Our work with Avnet Silica demonstrates how BICS’s SIM for Things provides the global connectivity that OEMs and hardware manufacturers need to produce connected devices in a simple, reliable, flexible and cost-effective manner,” said Mikael Schachne, CMO at BICS. “Together, we have created a future-proof IoT-as-a-service offering, which will make mass IoT a reality in the coming years.”