Soracom claims North America’s largest IoT coverage area | Computer Weekly

This year has seen rapid advances in the uptake and effective deployment of internet of things (IoT) technology and services, yet these benefits are only guaranteed with the availability of sufficient connectivity, and to maximise network availability and coverage for devices deployed anywhere in the US, especially in hitherto underserved rural areas, global advanced connectivity provider Soracom has unveiled a new cellular data plan.

In a country known for its wide-open spaces, Plan US-MAX is designed to offer IoT devices the largest available data coverage footprint along with the ability to automatically switch between any of the three leading cellular networks – AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon – for optimal connection reliability on the move.

Soracom is already a technology partner to more than 20,000 startups and small and medium-sized enterprises, connecting more than five million IoT devices globally.

US-MAX also includes access to the company’s fully virtualised cellular platform, including what are described as advanced cloud integrations and secure networking services designed specifically to accelerate IoT deployment and ensure success at scale.

Soracom’s containerised multi-IMSI capability, which is compatible with both eUICC and UICC standards, result in the Plan US-MAX being available immediately today as an over-the-air download to any device in North America, using Soracom IoT SIMs or eSIMs.

Like Soracom’s standard global data plan, Plan US-MAX is offered on a shared success model, where customers pay only for the data and services they use, with no long-term commitment required.

“Coverage is the key in IoT,” said Kenta Yasukawa, chief technology officer and co-founder of Soracom. “Soracom serves as a technology partner to IoT innovators across North America, Europe and Asia, and we know extensive coverage in specific countries can make or break a deployment. [For devices deployed across the US, it’s the right time for a plan you can download over the air to combine the greatest available coverage with the most advanced connectivity platform.”

Among the customers already using Plan US-Max are advanced IoT services provider TOKU Systems and real-time field and soil data firm Hortau.

“Oil and gas customers count on TOKU Systems to bring unprecedented remote visibility to tanks, wells and pipelines across North America,” said Andrew Jarman, chief technology officer at TOKU Systems. “Most of those installations are in remote locations, and we can’t afford to second-guess our connectivity. Soracom Plan US-MAX gives us the coverage our customers need and the ability to connect securely to our preferred endpoints.”

“Hortau empowers high-value crop growers with innovative precision irrigation solutions to optimise crop health and maximise the efficiency of their inputs by seamlessly connecting the soil and the crop-growing environment,” said Nicolas Gendron, director for IoT, web and mobile applications.

“With Soracom Plan US-MAX, our sensors remain seamlessly connected even in rural areas, while the Soracom platform ensures a secure and direct connection to our AWS VPC. This perfect fusion of availability, reliability and capability forms the ideal solution for our needs.”