Actility selects iBASIS, Sequans to meet its delivery schedule for eSIM and iSIM

iBASIS, the leading provider of communications solutions for operators and digital players worldwide, and Sequans Communications S.A. (NYSE: SQNS), a leading developer and provider of 5G/4G chips and modules, today announced that Actility, a leading provider of IoT connectivity platform, has chosen iBASIS and Sequans to roll out programmable cellular IoT solutions with eSIM and iSIM.

Actility had previously worked closely with iBASIS to enable roaming between private unlicensed networks powered by ThingPark EPC Connector and public networks, using Simfony’s CMP platform, now fully integrated with iBASIS’ Global Access for Things™ IoT portfolio. The longstanding partnership between iBASIS and Sequans has produced several successful proofs of concept.

The new ultra-low-power multi-technology trackers of Abeeway, a fully owned Actility subsidiary, will benefit from Sequans Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT platform with integrated iSIM and the connectivity profile provided by iBASIS, allowing the device to connect to cellular networks worldwide. Actility will also benefit from Sequans Monarch 2 being the first iSIM implementation that has achieved common criteria EAL5+ certification, allowing the use of iBASIS’ intelligent profile selection technology with remote update using multiple Tier-1 operator profiles as provided for eSIM.

iSIM is fully integrated in the cellular modem and microcontroller unit on a single system on chip (SoC). It relies on the existing eSIM infrastructure accessing 2/3/4/5G networks using the global footprint of iBASIS. iSIM is considered to be the future of connectivity technology for many IoT deployments.

An important step forward in the IoT industry, iSIM will positively influence device design in the areas of space optimization, and reduction of energy and power consumption. By eliminating the need for a separate SIM chip, iSIM will provide the customer with a more streamlined supply chain experience when manufacturing a device using cellular connectivity. The entire supply chain will benefit from the reduction of materials which will lead to lower costs for manufacturers.

According to Counterpoint Research, beyond 2027 iSIM is projected to take over as the dominant SIM form factor, with the shipments of iSIM-capable devices poised to scale to 7 billion units between 2021 and 2030.

With the iBASIS Global Access for Things™ industry-leading coverage, eSIM/iSIM enables enterprises to easily adopt a single global, remotely programmable SIM that provides mobile data connectivity to smart devices all over the world.
“After recent collaboration with iBASIS, adding iBASIS connectivity on our Monarch 2 module with eSIM, and having fully tested the global connectivity on iSIM, we are now advancing into an integrated production phase driven by a customer need,” said Louis Chuang, EVP of Sequans’ Massive IoT Business Unit. “We are thrilled to reach this important milestone with iBASIS whereby we can offer customers a powerful iSIM capability, along with low power consumption, cost-efficiency, and GNSS support.”

“After being recognized as a leader in the cellular IoT connectivity market with eSIMs, we are delighted to implement iSIM technology together with our trusted partner Sequans,” said Ajay Joseph, CEO IoT & CTO, iBASIS. “After many years of research and development, while deploying iSIM technology in trial environments, it is a great achievement by our teams. This once again underlines that iBASIS is a frontrunner and truly lives by its motto: ‘Be there first’. We strongly believe that iSIM will become a dominant factor within the IoT industry and I am proud to see that we are now able to provide our longstanding customer Actility with our proven IoT connectivity on iSIM.”

“Our focus is ultra-low-power industrial IoT connectivity. The new cellular trackers of our subsidiary Abeeway leverage LTE-M and NB-IoT, and our ThingPark EPC Connector for unlicensed private cellular networks (such as CBRS) rely on recent 3GPP slicing technologies,” said Olivier Hersent, CEO of Actility. “We needed cutting edge partners to support reliable LTE-M connections with PSM/eDRX options in permanent roaming as well as iSIMs: after extensive testing we selected Sequans for their ability to support iSIMs and because 100 percent of their software stack is developed in-house, and iBASIS for their ability to support complex integration and their focus on quality, based on proactive testing. Together, I think we form the dream team for industrial low-power IoT.”