UnaBiz signs global IoT distribution agreement with Soracom, a global provider of advanced IoT connectivity, to offer cellular connectivity to its customers. The new deal will provide UnaBiz customers with access to Soracom’s network enabled by 350 mobile carriers across 170 countries, and services complementary to the global 0G network powered by Sigfox technology.
The cellular connectivity offer brings additional value to UnaBiz’s key verticals; utilities, supply chain and logistics, building and facility management, and security, and will open up new segments and a dozen new addressable Critical IoT use cases that require lower latencies, larger data volume, and uninterrupted communication. The agreement will kick off in Singapore, Taiwan, France, Spain and Portugal, with the objective to be subsequently extended to 70+ 0G operators worldwide where a cellular connectivity option is required by a customer.
“It is clear that there is no single network technology that can cover all IoT use cases and collaboration is key to enable IoT at scale. By joining forces with Soracom, our customers will gain access to best-of-breed cellular IoT connectivity to help them achieve their business objectives and ESG goals. This distribution model is already tested and proven today with UnaBiz and our 0G Operator partners. Our customers chose us because of the additional IoT expertise and know-how they can access alongside the cellular services, which are not always available from your traditional local telco SIM provider. This is why we are pleased to strengthen our strategic partnership and scale up with Soracom with this new extended global agreement,” says Henri Bong, CEO and co-founder of UnaBiz.
The agreement builds on the long-term partnership between UnaBiz and Soracom that started in 2018 when Soracom led a $10 million (€9.22 million) investment in UnaBiz’s series A funding round. The synergies created by this combined offering were established in 2020 when UnaBiz and Soracom partnered to deliver an LTE-M-based smart meter reader for NICIGAS, Japan’s LP Gas company, to complement its existing Sigfox-based smart meter reader. The LTE-M connectivity is powered by Soracom’s IoT connectivity platform, which supports blended Sigfox and cellular deployments and provides access to advanced cloud capabilities.
“Soracom is pleased to support UnaBiz and its 0G Operator partners with IoT connectivity and platform services that connect seamlessly to multiple cellular networks including 2G, 3G, 4G LTE and Cat-M1 and NB-IoT. As a cloud-agnostic, hardware-agnostic platform, we firmly believe in the Technology Convergence movement. We look forward to working with UnaBiz to offer Soracom coverage and cloud-native capabilities in new markets and reinforce UnaBiz’s position as a massive IoT service provider and integrator,” says Ken Tamagawa CEO and founder of Soracom Inc.
Earlier in February this year, Soracom announced the joint global development and launch of an LTE-M-based IoT button with UnaBiz that utilises Soracom’s eSIM technology and cloud-native smart connectivity platform.
Customers located in Singapore, Taiwan, France, Spain and Portugal will be able to purchase IoT SIMs from their respective local UnaBiz operators directly or contact UnaBiz for cellular-based IoT solutions.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow_OR @jcIoTnow
