IoT network
Unimagined possibilities with borderless IoT networking
Unimagined possibilities with borderless IoT networking
IoT network
An IoT network connects physical objects such as GPS trackers in vehicles or sensors in machines wirelessly to the internet. It enables data collection, visualization and the derivation of findings.
But what exactly is the IoT? Read more about the Internet of Things and its advantages in our blog post.
Mobile wireless technologies are ideal for connecting IoT devices to the internet. These are available worldwide and can be used without installing transmitters or cables, just with a SIM card. They also ensure that IoT devices can move freely without interrupting the connection.
An IoT network enables four applications: Data acquisition, data transmission, data processing and data evaluation.
To ensure that the processes run smoothly, you need the following components:
- Hardware: IoT data is collected using sensors. Additional hardware may also be required for data transmission within your IoT network: Wireless modules, routers or gateways. Deutsche Telekom provides you with certified hardware that is ideally suited to working with our mobile communications solutions.
- Connectivity: To transmit data wirelessly within your IoT network and connect your devices worldwide, wireless networks are the first choice. Whether 2G, 4G, 5G, LTE-M or Narrowband IoT – with wireless technologies, you get the network that suits you.
- IoT platform: You need a cloud platform to analyze data, define business logic and connect additional software solutions via programming interfaces. This allows you to exploit the full potential of your IoT network.
The choice of suitable wireless technology for the transmission of IoT data depends heavily on the specific requirements of the application. From 4G or 5G to LPWA technologies such as NB IoT, LTE-M, LoRaWAN or Sigfox, everything is possible.
4G or 5G offer high data rates and are particularly suitable if the application requires near real-time communication – they are therefore well suited for large amounts of data that need to be transmitted at high speed, such as video surveillance systems.
For applications where only small amounts of data need to be transmitted at longer intervals, such as environmental sensors, LPWA technologies, i.e. NB IoT, LTE-M, LoRaWAN or Sigfox, are the right choice. You can find out which LPWA technology is the most suitable in our whitepaper: NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, Sigfox: a current comparison.
The security of IoT networks is crucial for companies. That's why we at Deutsche Telekom give you the opportunity to secure the data connections of your sensitive IoT projects using state-of-the-art encryption concepts.
IoT devices have different data volume requirements than smartphones. Therefore, wireless networks specially developed for IoT are used, which also provide additional functions, such as energy-saving networking, which are crucial for operation in the Internet of Things.
IoT SIM cards are at the heart of every mobile network. In contrast to conventional SIM cards, IoT SIM cards usually access specific wireless networks that are suitable for their use case. In addition to 2G, 4G and 5G, these can also be special networks for IoT devices, such as LTE-M and NarrowBand IoT.
Both IoT SIMs and standard SIMs can be very similar in appearance: plastic cards printed with a chip in mini-SIM, micro-SIM and nano-SIM formats. As IoT devices have to function for many years under a wide range of environmental conditions, we also offer these plug-in SIMs as particularly robust industrial or high-end SIM variants. These can withstand extreme temperature differences and have a life expectancy twice to three times longer than conventional SIM cards.
With our eSIM, you also get a variant that consists of just one chip that can be soldered directly into the IoT device. This makes it more resistant to extreme environmental influences, reduces the risk of contact loss between the SIM and module and offers additional protection against misuse and theft. We have also developed the nuSIM with renowned partners, which no longer has its own hardware but is integrated directly into the modem chip.
In our IoT Business family, you will find prices for standard tariffs and test offers with preconfigured SIM cards, as well as individual offers that require specific solutions and a high level of service and advice. We will be happy to provide you with a quote and advise you free of charge.
nuSIM is a SIM card developed by Deutsche Telekom and renowned partners that is optimised specifically for IoT applications. IoT projects such as smart electricity, water and gas meters, intelligent street lights, smart parking or sensors for environmental data require particularly small, robust and energy-saving end devices that must also be affordable.
All SIM functions that are not needed for IoT communication, such as voice transmission, were therefore explicitly omitted from the nuSIM. It is integrated directly in the modem chip as an iSIM (integrated SIM), which means there is no longer any need for separate hardware that takes up space in the device and requires its own logistics processes. The nuSIM is preconfigured and shipped with the device.
The biggest difference is that the nuSIM is integrated completely into the IoT device without any separate hardware being required, while an eSIM comprises a chip (MFF) which must be added as a separate component. As such, the eSIM uses more electricity than the nuSIM, generates higher costs and requires its own logistics processes for procurement, installation and use.
There are also differences when it comes to the functions: the eSIM comprises all typical SIM card features, including those that are not absolutely necessary for IoT applications. In addition, their profiles can be replaced wirelessly, which enables users to switch mobile network providers, for example.
nuSIMs are integrated directly into the modem chip during the manufacturing of the IoT device and are preconfigured upon delivery. All functions that are not needed for IoT applications are omitted in order to reduce costs and save energy.
The first nuSIM chips and modules will be launched soon and can be booked then.
IoT networks are often part of critical processes in companies, or are deployed in products for end customers. If they fail, or if an attacker manages to penetrate them, the damage caused can be significant. When using mobile network transmission, you can secure your data connections using an IPsec tunnel via the internet, enabling you to securely transfer data to your IT systems.
To protect your networks, cloud solutions and IoT devices against hacker attacks and reduce the security workload in your IT department, Deutsche Telekom adheres to the most stringent security standards. Throughout the Group, we regularly conduct privacy and security assessments to ensure that data security and protection are integrated in our system and product development. As a result, we have gained international recognition as a leading provider of cyber security.
In addition, our tariffs provide access to our IoT platform via a leased line without internet connection for particularly high demands with regard to data security. We also provide fraud detection as a service as part of our security solutions. Here, we actively monitor the usage data of your IoT devices and warn you in the event of any irregularities, for example if a SIM card is being used in a country it should not be located in.
IoT projects can comprise hundreds or even thousands of devices connected via mobile networks. The sheer number of connections can make it challenging to keep an overview of the use and billing of the SIM cards, which is why we provide access to our IoT customer portal (M2M Service Portal 3.0). Here, you can manage SIM cards, contracts, invoices, reports and usage data via an online portal or simply integrate them into your business processes via an API. Read more about our IoT customer portal here.
We will gladly advise you and select the right components from the many possible combinations available at Deutsche Telekom. Furthermore, we do not simply support you during the technical implementation – we also help you develop a suitable business plan. To this end, we offer digital strategy workshops and accompany you in performing the proof of concept for your digital strategy. Please do not hesitate to call us!