SIM Providers: LTE-M/Nb-IoT + Roaming, and Setup
Written by Matthew Clark-Massera
Updated at September 5th, 2023
Table of Contents
In order to get online with our 4G LTE-M/NB-IoT devices, you will require a SIM card that operates on these networks. Network terminology can be confusing - often multiple terms are used for the same network - e.g. Cat-M1 and LTE-M are used interchangeably.
Make sure you have read Connectivity - LTE-M vs NB-IoT, Coverage, Providers and Roaming as an overview of all the key concepts of LTE-M/NB-IoT.
Important Points
Tracking Specific SIMs
Our LTE-M/NB-IoT devices will need special SIMs for these networks - i.e. often a standard '4G Prepaid SIM' like you would buy for your mobile phone will likely not get you online.
Test!
LTE-M and NB-IoT networks are relatively new, and are still being rolled out in some places. Teething problems may occur. They are usually quickly resolved and once a network has been up and running for a while expect trouble-free operation. However test new SIMs, networks and technologies thoroughly before deploying in volume.
Pricing - you get what you pay for
Keeping ongoing data costs to the absolute minimum is critical and a key factor if many tracking applications are even viable, or will get off the ground. When deploying many devices, even small differences in data costs per device can quickly rack up. However, it is important to note that a higher level of service = higher cost. Not all SIM cards work the same - some can even reduce device battery life.
Commercial Deployments
It is tempting to go for some very low-cost, relatively unknown roaming SIM cards. However certain networks may have agreements with the roaming providers that if a SIM stays attached to their network for too long (i.e. > 6 months continuously) - it can be kicked off. This kind of uncertainty is not acceptable for a large deployment. Any savings on SIM data will quickly evaporate if units need to be recovered and SIMs swapped. This is not to discourage cost-saving measures - lower-priced tracking is great for everyone! But the risks and benefits should be weighed up when choosing untested SIMs and networks. Test thoroughly before rolling out large-scale deployments!
So what SIMs should I actually get? What providers are there?
This article serves as a record of what SIMs Digital Matter has knowledge of working with our products in various countries.
Key Points
-
The list of SIM/networks in this article is not an exhaustive list of all available SIMs and providers - plenty of others exist and may well work.
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This is not a list of 'approved providers', you're free to use any SIM you choose!
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This list relies purely on the feedback of our partners to help build it. We have better data in the countries where we are more active/have more devices. It's just our experiences/learnings.
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Many of the roaming SIMs will list on their website that they roam to many more countries than are indicated below. We add an entry when we have confirmed the SIM will work in that country.
-
Results often change, we have had some providers which initially would not connect, only to find after various updates from 3rd parties (networks, SIM providers, component providers) to have them connect.
- The inverse is not as common but also possible. Partners should conduct their own testing!
LTE-M/NB-IoT Networks are still relatively new, but in many countries, coverage is very widespread. Roaming is also relatively new, but in recent months we have seen many new providers come to market with good results.
See GSM Arena - Mobile IoT Commercial Launches for an up-to-date list of current and announced LTE-M/Nb-IoT networks globally.
So in selecting a SIM card, in making your decision:
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Check the GSM Arena list, to find what networks operate LTE-M or NB-IoT networks in your country/countries of interest.
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You will need to source a SIM, either:
The information below can guide you in making your choice in (2).
Our Results/Findings
See our other article discussing Connectivity - LTE-M vs NB-IoT, Coverage, Providers and Roaming
This article summarises our current confidence level in the various technologies and SIMs as follows.
Digital Matter's current confidence levels can be summarised as:
LTE-M on SIMs home network |
Highly confident, well-proven over many years |
LTE-M, with a roaming SIM |
Confident, well-proven over many years. |
NB-IoT, Home network SIM |
Confident, well proven. |
NB-IoT, with a roaming SIM |
Confident - this has improved greatly over the last 12 months. |
How do I configure any network settings if required?
Our devices make use of clever firmware features to automatically detect which type of SIM card is installed in a unit on startup, and automatically apply the right settings to get online. We call this Autonet.
What this means is that in the majority of cases, devices will get online automatically, with no special setup. However, this is not a guarantee in all cases.
Once online, it is recommended that you specifically configure your settings - but this is easy to do Over-The-Air once online.
If you are unsure whether your device will get online automatically, it is best that you order a DMLink Cable with your devices, and then configuration instructions are covered here:
In the tables below, all SIMs should (things can change!) connect automatically unless otherwise specified.
In many cases, we've heard from our partners that our latest generation devices automatically connect; without the manual configuration settings done on our previous generations.
Australia
In Australia, the current preferred option is Telstra's Cat-M1 network, using a SIM card provided by M2M One.
Other roaming SIM cards are available that will work on Telstra's LTE-M (CAT-M1) network.
We have a very high level of confidence in M2M One's LTE-M SIMs that work on the Telstra network.
The other listed SIMs appear to be working well but are not as extensively tested.
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
M2M One |
Excellent - Connects Automatically Recommended |
Telstra LTE-M |
LTE-M |
Telstra |
Excellent - Connects Automatically |
Telstra LTE-M |
LTE-M |
Emnify Roaming SIM |
Can potentially lead to excessive battery drain. |
Telstra LTE-M (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Soracom Roaming SIM |
Working well - testing is not widespread but initial results look good |
Telstra LTE-M (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Spark NZ Roaming SIM |
Working well - testing is not widespread. |
Telstra LTE-M |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Using this SIM in AU seems to cause issues with the uBlox SARA R410M - avoid for these devices. |
Telstra LTE-M (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Twilio Super Roaming SIM |
Limited Testing, shown to be working. |
Telstra LTE-M (roams on network) |
NB-IoT |
M2MOne |
Excellent - Connects Automatically - using these Telstra local SIMs “NB-IoT Type 1” |
Telstra NB-IoT |
NB-IoT |
M2MOne |
Limited testing of eDCP NB-IoT SIMs (this is Telstra's roaming NB-IoT SIM). Got online automatically. |
Telstra NB-IoT |
NB-IoT |
Optus |
Tested by DM in DM Perth office - working well. Standard IoT SIMs Connects automatically with no input. Suggested 4G settings |
Optus NB-IoT |
NB-IoT |
Vodafone |
Initially Vodafone NB-IoT Would not work due to DNS issues as ePCO was not enabled. |
Vodafone NB-IoT |
Austria
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
A1 |
Proven to work well with our devices in Austria using A1 SIMs |
A1 |
Canada
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Rogers |
Must configure APN to get online. Received from the carrier. |
Rogers |
LTE-M |
Bell |
Must configure APN to get online. Received from the carrier. |
Bell |
LTE-M |
Telus |
Must configure APN to get online. Received from the carrier. |
Telus |
LTE-M |
Aeris |
Good results, recommended roaming SIM. |
AT&T |
LTE-M |
EMnify Roaming SIM |
Good results, gets online automatically but be sure to apply the right configuration once online |
Telus (roams on the network) |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
APN must be set to "iot.1nce.net" |
1NCE (roams on network) |
Belgium
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
Orange |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had a lot of success using Orange NB-IoT SIMs |
Orange (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Proximus (Belgacom) And Orange |
|
NB-IoT |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
|
Orange And BASE (KPN) |
France
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Orange (roams on network) |
Germany
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
E-Plus (roams on network) |
Hong Kong
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
Orange/ |
Issues with DNS but can be worked around using a Wired Provisioning Tool. |
Three |
NB-IoT |
China Mobile |
Issues with DNS but can be worked around using a Wired Provisioning Tool |
China Mobile |
Hungary
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Vodafone |
|
NB-IoT |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
|
Telenor (roams on network) |
Italy
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
Vodafone |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Vodafone (roams on network) |
Luxembourg
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
|
Post (roams on network) |
Netherlands
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
KPN and T-Mobile (Deutsche Telekom) (Roams on networks) |
New Zealand
Technology |
SIM Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
One NZ (Vodafone) |
Excellent - Connects Automatically |
One NZ |
LTE-M |
Spark NZ |
Excellent - Connects Automatically |
Spark |
NB-IoT |
One NZ (Vodafone) |
Reportedly performing well - but DM have not yet seen significant evidence to support this |
One NZ |
LTE-M |
Hologram Roaming SIM |
Set APN to hologram Set bandmasks to m1+3+28 Limited testing, have seen SIMs online with the above settings. |
Spark/One-Vodafone (roaming SIM) |
LTE-M |
M2M One (Aus) Roaming SIM |
Reportedly working well on the Spark network |
Spark |
Vodafone:
Note in NZ, One (Vodafone) may supply a 'local' and GDSP (Global Data Service Platform) SIM card. The latest versions of device firmware should join automatically. If older devices do not, firmware can be updated via the DM Link cable, or set the APN via this cable. Check with your provider for this APN
Norway
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
Telenor |
Proven to work well with our devices in Norway using Telenet SIMs |
Telenet |
NB-IoT |
COM4 |
Proven to work well with our devices in Norway using COM4 SIMs |
COM4 |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Coverage is good, DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Emnify Roaming SIM |
Proven to work well with our devices in Norway using Emnify SIMs. No APN configuration is needed. |
Emnify (roams on network) |
Papua New Guinea
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Vodafone |
Limited tested - have seen a device manage to get online. Further testing required |
Vodafone |
LTE-M |
Digicel |
Limited tested - have seen a device manage to get online. Further testing required |
Digicel |
Portugal
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Vodafone |
Vodafone global roaming SIM able to connect on LTE-M in Portugal |
Vodafone |
NB-IoT |
Vodafone |
ePCO does not appear to be enabled on Vodafone Portugal's NB-IoT network, causing DNS issues.
|
Vodafone |
Singapore
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Singtel |
Good results, gets online automatically. |
Singtel |
LTE-M |
Soracom Roaming SIM |
Good results, gets online automatically. |
Singtel |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Limited tested - have seen a device manage to get online. Further testing required APN must be set to "onomondo" |
Singtel |
South Africa
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
Vodacom |
Must configure APN to get online. APN must be set to "nbiot.vodacom.za" |
Vodacom |
Spain
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Emnify Roaming SIM |
Good results, gets online automatically but be sure to apply the right configuration once online |
Orange (roams on network) |
NB-IoT |
Vodafone |
Global Roaming SIM connects in Spain. Limited Testing |
Vodafone |
LTE-M |
Vodafone |
Untested |
Vodafone |
Switzerland
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
NB-IoT |
Migros |
NB-IoT devices reportedly connecting. |
|
NB-IoT |
Hologram Roaming SIM |
NB-IoT not yet supported on Hologram. Awaiting further tests. |
|
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
Swisscom and Sunrise |
Thailand
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
AIS |
Very limited testing has proven successful. Partners should test further before deploying in volume. |
AIS |
NB-IoT |
AIS |
Very limited testing has proven successful, partners should test further before deploying in volume. |
AIS |
United Kingdom
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
DM devices have had success using 1NCE SIMs |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
O2 (Telefónica) |
United States of America
Technology |
Provider |
Results |
Network |
LTE-M |
Aeris |
Good results, across a large number of devices (recommended roaming card for the US) |
AT&T (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Pod |
Good results, Pod supply 'native' AT&T SIMs |
AT&T |
LTE-M |
Emnify Roaming SIM |
Gets online automatically but be sure to apply the right configuration once online. |
Sprint and AT&T (roams on networks) |
LTE-M |
AT&T |
Only certified devices may be used on these networks (Oyster2 and Dart2 currently) |
AT&T |
LTE-M |
Verizon |
Device IMEI must be added to Verizon database by Digital Matter. Only certified devices may be used on Verizon (Remora2, Oyster2, G62 and Yabby GPS currently). Limitations on how often the device may upload - this is handled by Applying the correct settings for Verizon |
Verizon |
LTE-M |
Hologram Roaming SIM |
Must configure APN: "hologram" to get online |
AT&T (roams on network) |
LTE-M |
Twilio Super Roaming SIM |
Setup: |
AT&T (roams on network) |
LTE-M & NB-IoT |
1NCE Roaming SIM |
Older generation devices using uBlox modems must have the APN set to "iot.1nce.net" before they can connect. |
1NCE (roams on network) |
LTE-M & NB-IoT |
Onomondo Roaming SIM |
AT&T (roams on network) |
Roaming SIM Cards
Modem and network updates have led to their performance improving dramatically in recent months. Many of these cards are referenced in the above tables as they have been tested in the relevant country. Consult the provider's network and country list for full details - but always test!
Roaming SIM Note
Some networks have in their agreements with roaming SIM providers that their roaming SIMs cannot roam for too long on the home network continuously - or they may be switched off. Check with your providers before deploying large device volumes!
Some also may significantly reduce device battery life - Roaming SIM Cards - Battery Life Impact
*The 1NCE SIM card was successful in roaming through Belgium, France and the Netherlands, on bands 8 and 20.
These SIMs are mentioned in the above tables per country. However, they are listed here for convenience. Check the provider's website for a list of countries and networks the SIMs roam on:
-
Emnify
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Soracom
-
Hologram
-
Twilio
- 1NCE
-
Onomondo
-
M2M One
-
Vodafone Global Roaming