The Mobile Network of Networks for Global IoT Projects

As a global IoT connector Telekom is expanding its “network of networks” for use with the widest range of mobile IoT applications. Along with 4G and 5G, NB-IoT, LTE-M and Satellite IoT, LoRaWAN is now on board too.

Accelerating to 100 km/h from a standing start in less than two seconds is not a problem if you have over 1,900 hp under your hood. But Automobili Pininfarina’s all-electric hypercar the Battista leads the field on the road and is equally fast on the Internet—and all over the world too. The Battista is connected to the Internet via a built-in Telekom eSIM in over fifty countries. “With a driver-oriented user experience and comfort functions like global roaming we aim to offer a world-class digital experience in our luxurious super sports car,” says Paolo Dellachá, Automobili Pininfarina’s Chief Product and Engineering Officer.

Reliable global connectivity is crucially important for Biotronik too. The Berlin-based company is a leading manufacturer of medical devices and has connected its defibrillators and cardiac pacemakers via the cellular network. Both the patient’s condition and the status of the implant can thereby be monitored continuously. In the event of irregularities the patient’s physician is notified immediately. Thanks to Telekom’s global footprint Biotronik can deploy and market its devices internationally and patients can travel without restrictions.

Telekom as a global IoT connector now operates 5G networks in Germany and other European countries and the United States and is the only provider with mobile networks of its own on both sides of the Atlantic. It also offers 5G roaming—the optional use of partners’ 5G networks—in over fifty countries. Monitoring industrial facilities, controlling drones, helping fitters by means of AR glasses: you can see for yourself in our network stories the uses to which 5G is already being put.

Along with 5G networks Telekom operates 4G/LTE networks around the world and uses NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M—standards that were specially developed for the Internet of Things (IoT). Customers thereby have at their disposal everywhere a mobile network that is suitable for every potential IoT application. Over 600 selected roaming partners offer Telekom customers international coverage and worldwide access to data connections. And with the Best Coverage tariff option IoT devices log in automatically from any location to the network of the roaming partner with the best availability.

Companies benefit by being able to offer and operate their IoT solutions and networked products internationally and no longer needing to negotiate separate contracts in every country with local providers, each with their own terms and conditions, billing cycles and service level agreements. They no longer have to register and manage devices and services across numerous platforms and portals, all of them proprietary, or for each and every problem to communicate with different customer support teams.

Telekom’s T IoT provides global connectivity in one contract with one service team, one access to simple management of all IoT connections, plus a simplified procurement process with pre-optimized contracts and billing, uniform global SLAs and a single customer support contact. In a word, Telekom is the one-stop shop for companies that need global connectivity for their IoT projects.

Companies that operate globally like Mercedes-Benz and Biotronik need to know their markets and local regulations in a large number of countries, and that also applies to wireless data transmission. A growing number of national authorities prohibit permanent data roaming. Others do not permit position data to leave the country. To facilitate connectivity for IoT projects in these countries you need a provider with a global infrastructure who also knows the local target markets and adapts flexibly to them. Telekom’s local breakout solutions and eSIM cards that automatically load profiles for local regulations ensure connectivity for IoT projects in these countries.

For time-critical IoT solutions such as autonomous driving, regional packet gateways ensure lowest global latencies. They relay transcontinental data roaming traffic to the next Telekom regional packet gateway around the globe rather than back to the original home network, which might be at the other end of the world. Key data traffic is further prioritized by Quality of Service (QoS) class.

Cellphone masts are not to be found in every corner of the world, of course, especially on the high seas. In order to provide production facilities in remote areas or transport vessels on the oceans with network access Telekom has joined forces with Skylo to combine mobile and satellite radio. The two networks can be managed on one platform. This new offering includes built-in 5G wireless modules that switch seamlessly and automatically between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.

Telekom has now gone one step further by adding a distributed network to its centrally administered networks, integrating the widespread LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) more strongly into its offering. Along with the popular The Things Network (TTN), LoRa IoT devices from the Helium Network can now be run on the IoT platform of our developer community, IoT Creators. That gives customers even greater flexibility and coverage. Users can manage all of their IoT hardware via a single user interface regardless whether it runs on NB-IoT, LTE-M or LoRaWAN.

“We now offer our customers a global network of networks, a globally available, reliable and secure Network of Networks for IoT applications,” says Dennis Nikles, CEO of Deutsche Telekom IoT. “No matter what the requirements of the use case are, be they a wide range, low latency or high bandwidth, local or international, we as a global IoT connector provide the right network. For all customer needs from a one-stop shop.”