China Telecom Global (CTG), one of the world’s largest providers of integrated telecommunication services and 1NCE, Germany’s leading Tier-1 Internet of Things (IoT) carrier, announced they have formed a partnership to deliver high-quality IoT connectivity. China Telecom operates the largest Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) network in China, with more than 410,000 base stations. This collaboration makes 1NCE one of the first IoT carriers worldwide to offer a high-quality solution for seamless NB-IoT and 4G connectivity in Europe and Asia. Its robust and scalable footprint provides significant benefits to multinational customers such as original equipment manufacturers (OEM).
The multi-coverage SIM card developed by 1NCE provides the technological basis for its service. It allows for smooth transitioning between different mobile communication standards, including 2G, 3G, 4G, and NB-IoT, rendering 1NCE one of the top global providers of multi-IMSI SIM cards.
China Telecom is the only operator with mobile operations across mainland China, Macao, and Hong Kong. In partnering with CTG, 1NCE can extend its coverage and access radio networks across these regions through a single point of integration. It will therefore expand its customer base and improve its services across Europe and Asia in 2020.
“By harnessing CTG’s Tier-1 network and extending our IoT coverage to mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao, we are strengthening 1NCE’s role as the pioneer of simple international cellular IoT connectivity. We can now help our customers expand their IoT solutions to these valuable markets,” says Kim Juchem, COO at 1NCE. “This advantage allows us to offer our customers a seamless NB-IoT experience across Europe and Asia at the competitive IoT flat rate of just €10.”
In Europe, 1NCE cooperates with Tier-1 network provider Deutsche Telekom AG and has already made a name for itself as the first IoT carrier to offer fast, secure, and reliable IoT connectivity services at a flat rate. Within the first five months of business, 1NCE sold more than 1 million SIM cards and now has a customer base of over 2,300. It focuses on long-lasting B2B applications with low data volumes such as asset tracking, tank monitoring, vehicle telemetry, smart metering, and waste management. 1NCE’s flat-rate model, which is designed for the lifetime of IoT-enabled devices (up to ten years), ensures maximum price transparency and easily calculable costs.
“Our partnership with CTG underpins 1NCE’s commitment to deliver worldwide IoT connectivity with a single SIM product, thus setting a global standard,” said Alexander P. Sator, CEO, 1NCE. “To achieve this, we have to partner with the best players in each region. With CTG, we are expanding our partnership model particularly for Tier-1 network operators.”
China Telecom is the world’s largest 4G LTE FDD operator, with more than 323 million mobile subscribers as of the first half of 2019. The company has continued to invest in its 4G network infrastructure with 1.09 million 4G base stations. The IoT-connected devices on its network exceeded 150 million at the end of 2019 and continue to grow exponentially. Internationally, it provides cross-border IoT solutions for many applications, ranging from large-volume consumer devices to high-end industrial products. CTG has a wealth of experience working with global MNOs and MVNOs on various mobile solutions to meet a range of different needs.
China Telecom was one of the pioneers to deliver advance 5G network services in 50 cities across mainland China. Through its IoT services, China Telecom gives full play to 5G’s high bandwidth, ultra-low delay characteristics, edge computing, and other emerging technologies. As the region’s leading service provider, it is driving a “5G + e-Surfing Cloud Service + AI” strategy to deliver 5G industry cloud network solutions such as the Industrial Internet, smart cities, smart medical care, smart education, transportation logistics, and smart energy. Both companies will work towards supporting mMTC for future low-power applications in the 5G era.
“With market demand booming and technological readiness on the rise, IoT business makes sense to traditional carriers and MVNOs. An increasing number of enterprises are starting to accelerate their digital transformation and embrace IoT. NB-IoT has quickly become the newest mobile service trend for large-scale IoT deployment,” said Ou Yan, Executive Vice President, CTG. “China Telecom has been investing in network infrastructure to meet this demand. CTG is working closely with 1NCE to deliver NB-IoT services to 1NCE’s customers in a flexible, cost-efficient way.”