A terribly nice tariff family: "IoT Business"

Sometimes, even in the Internet of Things (IoT), it is simply best to remain as flexible as possible. Take autonomous driving, for example - whether it's self-driving tractors and other agricultural machinery or shuttle buses that take passengers safely from A to B without drivers. Because what about the data volume here? In the case of agricultural machinery, for example, wouldn't it be practical if the volume wasn't the same every month, but adapted to the data usage? After all, field work is often a seasonal business; in some months the machines are on the road every day, then again for a while they are hardly used at all. And flexibility would certainly also be a good thing in the case of shuttle buses if, for example, the route is temporarily extended due to roadworks and more data needs to be transferred.

This is where the new and innovative "IoT Business Data Best" tariff from the IoT business tariff family from Telekom. It uses three data pools with three monthly prices. Only when data usage exceeds the volume of the first (or second) pool are the corresponding costs incurred. There is neither a separate data volume nor a minimum contract term for the individual SIM cards. "IoT Business Data Best" is available from €29.50* per month and data pool for up to 50 SIM cards available. In addition to 2G, LTE-M and LTE, the tariff supports the Mobile communications standard 5G, which, among other things, fulfils the requirements for autonomous driving (e.g. extremely low latencies, i.e. delay times). After all, the aim is to exchange position and other data continuously and almost in real time between the vehicle and the cloud.

IoT projects such as self-driving buses quickly accumulate veritable mountains of data. Of course, there are also other use cases. However: a data volume of 6.5 MB per month? Many people would initially turn up their noses at such a figure, as they are now often used to several gigabytes from mobile phone contracts - and still sometimes reach the limit of their quota due to surfing and video calls, music and video streaming. However, there are certainly scenarios in which 6.5 MB per month is perfectly sufficient: namely in the IoT and more precisely in use cases that rely on LPWA technologies (Low Power Wide Area). This is because it is not large data volumes that are important here, but rather aspects such as building penetration or energy efficiency.

LPWA technologies include NarrowBand IoT, or NB-IoT for short. Its maximum data rate of just 250 kbit/s already indicates that no huge packets need to be transmitted here. Instead, it is about more compact information such as status data, which is recorded by IoT sensors, for example, and then transmitted to the cloud via mobile communications. It is then analysed there. The areas of application for NB-IoT solutions are diverse; among other things, they can localise leaks in underground water pipes: sensors attached to the pipes record acoustic signals that can be used to detect leaks. The above-mentioned properties of NB-IoT - energy efficiency and high building penetration - are of crucial importance here.

With "IoT Business LPWA", the tariff family offers the ideal tariff option for projects that rely on LPWA connectivity. And at attractive conditions: Prices per SIM card start at just €2.70* per year at the launch of the offer; customers can currently also take out a ten-year contract and pay just €13.49* per SIM card for the entire period. In addition to NB-IoT, "IoT Business LPWA" also supports LTE-M, 2G and LTE, so that projects with different requirements can be implemented precisely.

Finally, there are IoT applications for which a classic 5G tariff variant with a fixed inclusive volume per month and SIM card makes the most sense. This can be the case for smart light poles, which not only provide light in the dark, but can also act as Wi-Fi hotspots in the city centre or carry networked security cameras. In this way, such intelligent street lights quickly accumulate considerable amounts of data, which, however, generally remain at a constant level.

The "IoT Business Classic" tariff with 5G support, which completes the tariff family, is ideal for corresponding projects: There is a separate and fixed data volume for each IoT device, which can also be expanded if required. "IoT Business Classic" is available from just €1.97* per month per SIM and, just like "IoT Business Data Best", offers support for 2G, LTE-M and LTE in addition to 5G if required. Both tariffs also enable voice applications, which are needed for emergency call systems in lifts, for example.

From autonomous vehicles and smart sensors to multifunctional street lighting and beyond: IoT applications are diverse. "IoT Business" reflects this diversity and offers the right tariff for every case. Always included: expert advice and the best network coverage in Germany and worldwide. And if companies are not yet sure which tariff is best for their project, they can test both a 5G and LPWA variant as part of a proof of concept. The total package prices start from 105 euros* (5G) and 108 euros* (LPWA). So nothing stands in the way of successful projects in the Internet of Things - now the Tariff page visit and start.

^{*As of 15 September 2023. Daily updated prices can be found on the tariff page.}