Boost for AI industry as world’s first dedicated ‘Internet of Things’ SIM provider is launched

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A new mobile operator dedicated exclusively to providing connectivity to the internet of things (IoT) industry has been launched

The new roaming company, ‘Things Mobile’ has been created to help companies provide global data connectivity to new technologies, products and services (machine maintenance and even cattle) – many of which will (do) include AI and machine learning capabilities.

It’s predicted that by 2025, more than 75.5 billion products will be connected to the internet (excluding mobile phones) with company spend forecast to top $60 trillion within the next 15 years. In 2016, it was estimated more than 5.5 new ‘things’ (again, excluding mobiles) connected every day.

Access AI recently spoke to IDC Europe Research director Philip Carnelley, who described AI as being an integral part to the success of IoT, by being used to make clear and valuable sense of the data being received.

A new phase
“IoT is a going into a new phase where it’s not just people talking to computers any more, they’re talking to us. There’s a lot of interest in that. You’ve got things like trains telling their operators they’re going to go faulty, because sensors are being placed everywhere.

“Thus, IoT will generate vast amounts of data. To make sense of that data, we need new and advanced techniques. That’s where AI will come into it’s own. AI and IoT are complete bed-fellows.”

The launch of Things Mobile will provide companies looking to deploy connected product, particularly in areas where this no Wi-Fi, or when being used on objects which are not stationery.

Always connected
The firm claims to offer 90 per cent global network coverage, having agreed deals with 250 accredited partners in over 165 countries around the world. Each SIM includes ‘multi-network’ capabilities, ensuring they are automatically connected to the strongest signal – removing concerns of potential ‘black-spots’ where a network operator doesn’t have a presence. 2G, 3G and 4G/LTE (currently the strongest and fastest way to access the internet) connectivity is available.

“Things Mobile was created with a crucial goal in mind: upgrading the technology of objects connected to the Internet making it more user-friendly, faster and more convenient,” explains the Manuel Zanella, CEO of Things Mobile.

“Since most devices exchange very few kilobytes, our rate guarantees very low connection costs and no management fees for devices.”

One million target
Things Mobile is a sub-brand to the existing SIM roaming companies Zeromobile and ChatSim. Zanella said he saw the opportunity to launch the dedicated data IoT service, following feedback from customers – the number of which has never been revealed.

He claims its offering is up to 50 percent lower in cost to its competitors, offering a “very competitive rate” starting from €0.10/MB in the world’s “most important” countries.

Zanella says he is targeting one-million connections – although declined to provide a timeline.

“For quite a while I had been receiving requests from our customers to develop a SIM card to connect IoT devices in a more effective and affordable manner. There’s a lot of confusion on the market,” Zanella added.

“The offering of large mobile telephony operators is not clear or flexible at all and the fixed costs are very expensive. After connecting hundreds of thousands of people all over the world with Zeromobile and ChatSim, our target now is to connect millions of IoT devices all over the world thanks to Things Mobile, with an unbelievable permanent roaming rate!”

He continued: “This is a huge investment opportunity for manufacturers and operators alike. Exploiting the continuous advances made by means of communication and technologies used to connect to the Internet will lead to the greatest digital revolution ever experienced.”

Source: www.access-ai.com