Pod Group Launches FreeWay Remote SIM Solution at CTIA Super Mobility, Awarded EU Funding as Most Innovative Connectivity Solution for M2M and IoT Devices

Solution will resolve critical issues faced by developers of applications for the Internet of Things (IoT)

CTIA Super Mobility, Las Vegas, 9 September 2015 – Pod Group, the expert in connectivity for the M2M and IoT industries has announced that its remote SIM solution, FreeWay launched today at CTIA Super Mobility in Las Vegas has been awarded funding as the top innovation by Spanish Exportation and Investment Organization ICEX. FreeWay was awarded the highest score for innovation, research and development in the Invest In Spain program, co-financed by FEDER, the European Commission fund for regional development in the European Union.

The funding will allow the solution to be further developed to enable M2M and IoT developers direct access to an application that will enable them to control the profile of their SIMs on demand through Over The Air updates.

IoT and M2M applications suffer the same network-imposed roaming restrictions as consumers, but in the case of these applications, which are often remote or in transit, it is even more critical that they can be controlled remotely and that service is not limited or steered to one network provider.

The concept behind FreeWay is similar to the eSIM for consumers, in that it allows developers of devices to choose which network the device will attach to depending on cost, but it goes further than this by including an application on the SIM card to swap between independent networks automatically in case of signal loss. This is vital for M2M and IoT devices which have to operate without human intervention.

In addition, the solution assures “No Single Point of Failure” by including a database of independent “core” networks (IMSIs) on the M2M SIM card itself, allowing automatic back-up in case of technical problems on one of the core infrastructures. No other SIMs offer this form of back-up since they either rely on a single core network with local roaming agreements, or a single core IMSI which creates a point of failure.

The funding will allow the additional development of a platform that will give users a variety of options to control the connectivity of their SIMs remotely without ever needing to swap SIMs out of their devices, a vital requirement when devices are in remote locations, or SIMs are embedded and cannot be removed. Among the functions users will have access to via the platform are Over The Air updates to change the IMSI on demand if technical problems occur and adding new IMSIs to expand coverage or take advantage of more competitive pricing as it becomes available.

The platform will allow both the developer community and users to be independent of any supplier, since the SIMs will be owned by the user rather than the networks and the commands to enable SIMs to be updated Over The Air can be provided if users want to add their own IMSIs.

Sam Colley, CEO of Pod Group Inc. commented; “This solution is revolutionary in that it provides the user complete control over the connectivity of their M2M or IoT device. Whereas before developers were tied in to a contract with a specific network which limited the lifespan of the devices and also jeopardized the performance if technical problems arose, FreeWay cuts all the network ties and allows the user to take control of their SIM profile remotely.”

Group Managing Director of Pod Group, Charles Towers-Clark added; “We are extremely proud that ICEX has recognized our solution as the top technical innovation in Spain and has decided to support us in our ongoing development. The funding will allow us to provide a platform that gives users even more direct control over the connectivity of their devices, as well as researching into new ways to avoid connection problems caused by roaming.”

About Pod Group

Pod Group is a specialist in complete connectivity solutions tailored to Internet of Things (IoT) applications, bringing over 20 years of experience, research and innovation to the mobile connectivity market. With offices across the globe and access to 600+ networks in 185 countries, Pod Group provides global multi-network, multi-IMSI, eUICC and LPWAN connectivity solutions combined with end to end IoT security, centralized connectivity management and a hierarchical billing platform.

Press contacts:

Amy Garcia Rendle
Email: amy.garcia@podgroup.com
Skype: amygarciarendle
Phone: +44 (0) 1223 850 900