The IoT giant’s Plan X3-EU hopes to put a lid on data costs escalating quickly as IoT deployments scale
Global IoT provider Soracom announced a new cellular data plan called Plan X3-EU, designed to provide low-cost coverage across Europe for high data consumption use cases. Plan X3-EU includes access to Soracom’s cloud-native platform services for managing SIMs, reducing data costs, transmitting to public cloud platforms, and accessing deployed devices remotely.
The IoT provider – that has been ramping up its activities globally since listing on the Tokyo exchange in March – has the backers to make a significant impact in the otherwise fragmented world of IoT. After joining Japan’s KDDI Group through M&A in August 2017, in June 2021 Soracom announced a further capital alliance including Hitachi, Nippon Gas, Sony Group, Sourcenext, SECOM CO and World Innovation Lab (WiL).
Plan X3-EU offers a range of bundle options to accommodate diverse data consumption requirements. Starting from an annual fee of €4.50, customers can access 25MB of data transmission per SIM per month, with subsequent monthly charges of €0.38 after the first year. Additional options include 100MB, 500MB, 1GB, and 3GB plans, each offering competitive pricing structures, according to the company.
High-use sweet spot
Soracom believes the sweet spot for the new service is where large telemetry data sets are sent to the cloud, major firmware updates are carried out over the air, devices transmit image and video data, substantial data points are needed for AI training and gateways and routers are used to backhaul aggregated device data.
“We know that data costs can escalate dramatically as IoT deployments scale,” said Soracom director of business development and head of carrier relations Ken Otsuki. “By delivering what we believe are some of the best IoT connectivity rates in Europe for high data use cases, Plan X3-EU accelerates IoT projects and supports success at scale.”
Plan X3-EU also includes bundled access to platform services designed to solve common challenges in IoT. Customers can further reduce data costs with Soracom’s innovative protocol conversion called Beam, transmit data directly to cloud functions, manage IoT devices remotely, and apply advanced security features. Beam reduces data and power needs related to encryption, allows connection to the cloud without relay servers or SDKs, and supports certificate management for a company’s entire IoT/M2M fleet. Even if a user’s low-power device supports only HTTP, Beam still lets them deliver HTTPS to cloud services as required.
In a region known for intense competition across a bewildering assortment of providers and plans, Soracom’s Plan X3-EU offers a simple, affordable solution for M2M devices and sensors. Plan X3-EU brings low-cost IoT together with reliable connectivity across Europe covering LTE-M, 4G and NB-IoT where available.