The Internet of Things (IoT) market is still fairly premature, though companies are hopping on the bandwagon expecting the market to explode in upcoming years. Companies seeking to capitalize on the next big thing are attempting to turn nearly everything, from door locks to toothbrushes, into smart devices. For the most part, these products connect to a central hub in your home which then connect to your router so it can access the internet. Though is fine for home products, IoT products that are out of range of your home network are obviously unable to function in this way.
In order to allow IoT products to connect directly to the internet, they will need to be connected to your cellular plan. Thus, mobile network operators have been rolling out plans aimed specifically at IoT users – and T-Mobile is the latest to offer such a plan. The company has announced what they’re calling “IoT Access packs”. These access packs will come with both a data plan as well as the modules you may need for the IoT product.
If the product will only be using a limited quantity of data, the first data plan will allocate 5MBs per month for that device. This plan costs $20 per year and per device for the first year, and then $6 per year and per device after. For products that need to utilize more data, the second plan offers unlimited data at speeds up to 64kbps. This unlimited data plan will cost you $25 per year and per device, but T-Mobile has a promotion that will save you $5 off the first year for each device you sign up for. No matter which plan you go with, T-Mobile will be covering the cost of a Sequans Cat1 module.
The company has also announced they are working on “Category M” and “Narrowband IoT” (NB-IoT), which are the next evolution of modules that should help save customers money over time. For more information about T-Mobile IoT Access packs, head on over to their IoT landing page here.
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