Ericsson Internet of Things, in partnership with Thales, launches IoT Accelerator Device Connect with first-ever connection-ready generic eSIMs for enterprises

Ericsson’s (NASDAQ:ERIC, news, filings) Internet of Things (IoT) business, in partnership with Thales, launches IoT Accelerator Device Connect, a service offering generic eSIMs unbundled from pre-selected Service Providers. For the first time, enterprises have the flexibility to select one or more Service Providers easily and instantly at the time of device activation. This new business model dramatically accelerates enterprises’ time to market for their IoT deployments.

At the core of IoT Accelerator Device Connect is an innovative generic profile on every enterprise eSIM, allowing IoT devices and modules to be shipped connection-ready without the need to pre-select mobile network providers. With IoT Accelerator Device Connect, manufacturers can ship a single global stock-keeping unit (SKU), giving enterprises full control to easily and programmatically select the Service Providers that best suit their deployment needs. Via Ericsson IoT’s digital marketplace, enterprises can choose the most suitable partners for each device’s use case, selecting from Ericsson’s extensive ecosystem of global Service Provider members.

Kyle Okamoto, General Manager of IoT at Ericsson, says, “IoT Accelerator Device Connect is a game-changer for the IoT ecosystem. This significantly simplifies and fast-tracks the adoption of cellular IoT by offering generic eSIMs, giving enterprises more choices and flexibility. Businesses, Service Providers, and chipset and module vendors benefit from removed barriers and accelerated time to market. In addition, the enterprise experience is improved as companies can seamlessly deploy their eSIM devices anywhere in the world. One SKU, one platform, simple, instant and global – this is how you change the game.”

Thales is Ericsson IoT’s strategic solution technology partner providing the Device Connect eSIMs, the generic connectivity profile and Remote SIM Provisioning enabling eSIMs to work with any participating IoT Accelerator Service Provider.

Emmanuel Unguran, Vice President Mobile Connectivity Solutions from Thales, says, “With more products becoming connected, it is key for IoT enterprises to scale up by streamlining device deployment. Thanks to Ericsson IoT Accelerator Device Connect, OEM enterprises for the first time can manufacture their eSIM-enabled devices without selecting a specific Service Provider at this stage. The Service Provider can be selected any time after manufacturing once the devices are deployed in the field. This greatly removes complexity in manufacturing and logistics and gives enterprises the flexibility they need. We are proud to work with Ericsson IoT to bring the decisive simplification and agility the market is expecting with our eSIM solutions, including our generic connectivity profile, Thales Instant Connect.”

IoT Accelerator Device Connect is an integral part of Ericsson’s IoT Accelerator platform, used by more than 9,000 enterprises to manage over 95 million connections with more than 20 million eSIM connections globally. These enterprises and connections leverage Ericsson’s growing ecosystem of more than 35 Service Provider partners for global cellular connectivity. As the first Service Providers to offer the service, Telstra has teamed up with Swisscom to deliver IoT Accelerator Device Connect to enterprises globally.

Mark Chapman, Telstra Executive for Industry and Applications, says, “As a service provider partner for IoT Accelerator and IoT Accelerator Device Connect, we are excited to be one of the first operators to offer the service globally to enterprise customers. By facilitating enterprises’ ability to speed up their sales cycle and streamline their inventory management, we bring more business value to our customers.”

Felix Wunderer, Head of IoT Swisscom, explains: “Switzerland is known for innovative enterprises always looking for product and service improvements. We see IoT Accelerator Device Connect as an important enabler that simplifies cellular IoT adoption processes and logistics, especially for enterprises rolling out large numbers of connected devices globally.”

Module vendors are additional strategic go-to-market business partners offering IoT Accelerator Device Connect to device manufacturers and enterprises. Ericsson has tested and verified the service with module brands such as u-blox, Fibocom, SIMcom, Sequans, and Nordic Semiconductor. IoT Accelerator Device Connect works with their modules and is readily available for device manufacturers.