With half of US renters in 2019 under the age of 30, it’s no surprise the demand for smart technology is on the rise. Surveys show these renters will pay more for smart apartments, electronic access and other digital amenities. The IoT mobile core is effectively the brain of a network.
What is a IoT mobile core?
At a high level, the core runs processes to operate the mobile network and subscriber devices. The mobile core determines if a device may attach or connect to the network. If the device is approved, then the mobile core passes data through the network to external networks and determines the path that the data takes as it moves around a country – or around the world.
The mobile core also authenticates the subscriber identity module (SIM) inside the subscriber’s device. After authenticating the SIM, the core authorises various services for the user device, and allocates an IP address to the user device to route data traffic as mentioned above. All of this happens in a matter of milliseconds.
What does this have to do with IoT?
IoT deployments demand more flexibility, control, monitoring and scalability than a carrier’s mobile core can provide; after all, carriers initially designed and built their networks for our phones. In the world of cellular connectivity, there are two types of carriers:
- Traditional carriers, or mobile network operators (MNOs)
- Traditional resellers, or mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs)
A third type of provider is emerging: Cloud software companies who build and run their own mobile cores, dedicated to IoT, like Twilio.
What is a distributed IoT mobile core?
A distributed mobile core is a virtual, cloud-based, puresoftware mobile core architected specifically for the needs of IoT devices, and deployed globally with regional internet breakouts. Two of the biggest values of a distributed IoT mobile core are consistent device behaviour and low latency.
If you have a cellular IoT solution deployed in multiple countries, then you’re probably used to modifying your device behaviour based on the underlying network characteristics. Distributed mobile core eliminates the need for modifications and gives you consistent device behaviour across the world. This translates into lower operational overhead and a more seamless customer experience everywhere.
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