- Collaboration between Nordic IoT pioneers harnesses the power of connectivity and the network to drive efficiencies in power consumption with SoftSIM for Nordic Semiconductor.
- SoftSIM is the world’s first 100% software-based and vendor-agnostic IoT SIM.
- Fully downloadable from the cloud, SoftSIM reduces power consumption of devices in idle mode, lowing bill of materials and total cost of ownership saving money and resources.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark; 23/02/23 – The cellular Internet of Things (IoT) stands at the forefront of our ability to bring together the digital and physical worlds. Yet, getting a project off the ground has been historically complex, resulting in untapped value and potential waiting to be unlocked.
One of the main headwinds the industry has faced in recent years is the lack of interoperability across the ecosystem. Separate strategies often need to be developed for the hardware elements, connectivity, and what will eventually be stored in the cloud, making it hard to scale and drive efficiencies into cellular IoT projects. Today, there is a need to optimize how the ecosystem can operate together, harnessing the latest software and technology in the hardware, network and cloud.
Despite advances in hardware and cloud, the connectivity component has remained a particular barrier and “walled garden” in the middle of this ecosystem. This is why Onomondo has sought to rethink what’s possible within IoT connectivity through its latest innovation – SoftSIM – and a new collaboration with Nordic Semiconductor.
Announced last year at the Made for IoT Summit, SoftSIM is the world’s first 100% software and agnostic IoT SIM. Unlike eSIMs, or eUICC, there is no hardware or chips required. By reusing modules that already exist for cellular IoT, Onomondo’s IoT SIM can be stored and executed as pure software. This means no hidden lock-ins or unnecessary costs for users thanks to Onomondo’s operator-agnostic approach.
By integrating SoftSIM with Nordic Semiconductor’s low power nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP) with an integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem, users will have access to an out-of-the-box connectivity solution directly on the nRF9160. Not only does this eliminate the need for the manufacturing and shipping of SIM cards, but it also transforms low power cellular IoT by improving battery life through the network itself. SoftSIM for Nordic Semiconductor reduces the power consumption of idle devices, which combined with Nordic’s leading low power technology, offers one of the most compact, flexible, and energy-efficient solutions for cellular IoT connectivity in the market today.
Commenting on the news, Kristian Sæther, Product Director at Nordic Semiconductor, said: “Onomondo applies a unique approach in how they enable users of cellular IoT to drive more efficiency through the network. Our nRF9160 is the most power optimized and highly integrated solution for cellular IoT, enabling smaller, more cost-optimized devices. Still, connectivity is a major draw on power, so we continuously seek to optimize further. The Onomondo SoftSIM removes the bill of material and power consumption from a traditional SIM. This collaboration is perfect for deployments seeking better power efficiency, global coverage, and flexibility.”
This collaboration is perfect for deployments seeking better power efficiency, global coverage, and flexibility.
Kristian Sæther, Product Director at Nordic Semiconductor
Onomondo has spent a number of years rethinking existing IoT connectivity architecture by integrating more than 700 operators at the Radio Access Network (RAN) level across more than 180 countries. On top of its global IoT network, Onomondo has built a suite of powerful tools to help the user develop, deploy, and operate at scale. As a result, the Onomondo SoftSIM is entirely different from other so-called eSIMS or iSIMs available today, as it completely removes the eUICC chip from the equation.
The traditional discrete approach of SIM, modem and host application hardware and software, leads to complex supply chains, long design cycles and unoptimized solutions. The integration of SoftSIM means the nRF9160 now merges these three hardware elements into one. Now users can take advantage of the flexibility offered by Nordic’s nRF Connect SDK and Onomondo’s IoT tech stack to simplify and reduce deployment times.
Michael Karlsen, co-founder and CEO at Onomondo added: “When it comes to reducing friction and driving efficiency in IoT, connectivity has been one of the main headwinds facing the industry. Great progress has been made in making components and hardware more efficient and easier to deploy, but little work on the network side. That’s until SoftSIM came along. And as the leading supplier of low power IoT solutions in the world, partnering with Nordic Semiconductor means that users now have the ability to remove the friction that physical SIMs and even eSIMs have forced on them.”
Last year, Onomondo announced a new $21m growth investment led by Verdane, a leading growth equity investment firm that specializes in scaling digital consumer, software, and sustainable society businesses. Onomondo will leverage the new funds to drive growth and meet its planned projection of tripling its ARR in 2022 and 2023. The company also plans to scale its team from 80 to 100 over the next year, helping to expand its customer base, which currently includes the likes of Bosch, Carlsberg, and Maersk.
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ABOUT ONOMONDO
Onomondo is a tech scale-up operating a global network for the Internet of Things. Headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, Onomondo services customers in more than 140 countries, is available in more than 180 countries and has full integration to over 700 local operators. Originating in its end-to-end virtualised core, Onomondo has built the world’s most powerful IoT stack empowering customers with real-time monitoring and debugging, cloud connectors, APIs, webhooks, an easy-to-use management platform, and much more.
More info: www.onomondo.com
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ABOUT SOFTSIM
SoftSIM is downloaded from the cloud and reuses the already existing microcontroller on IoT devices, which can be either on the modem/radio-module or on the microcontroller running the embedded operating system, allowing the SIM to be stored and executed as pure software. This means that they can continue to do the work they do within trusted environments, e.g. ARM’s TrustZone, TPMs (Trusted Platform Module). For additional information about SoftSIM, visit the product page.
ABOUT NORDIC SEMICONDUCTOR
Nordic Semiconductor is a Norwegian fabless semiconductor company specializing in wireless communication technology that powers the Internet of Things (IoT). Nordic was established in 1983 and has more than 1300 employees across the globe. Our award-winning Bluetooth Low Energy solutions pioneered ultra-low power wireless, making us the global market leader. Our technology range was later supplemented by ANT+, Thread and Zigbee, and in 2018 we launched our low power, compact LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular IoT solutions to extend the penetration of the IoT. The Nordic portfolio was further complemented by Wi-Fi technology in 2021.
More info: www.nordicsemi.com
Follow Nordic Semiconductor on LinkedIn
