Telecom26 and MiWire are breaking boundaries by collaborating to trial a novel maritime connectivity service. This eSIM-based service aims to deliver seamless, budget-friendly data, particularly to commercial vessels that frequently stick to set routes. The significance of this innovation lies in its departure from reliance on satellite technology, which has been the norm for the commercial shipping sector but comes with some limitations. Drawbacks to this technology include significantly expensive, rigid monthly usage plans and large gaps in coverage.
As forerunners in the provision of maritime connectivity, both Telecom26, and MiWire, bring vast expertise to the table in their endeavor to navigate uncharted territory. Their collaborative service can access terrestrial cellular networks for up to 50km out at sea. This groundbreaking service strategically capitalizes on the finest and most economical cellular connection, benefiting from local rates before transitioning to pricier satellite options when the vessels stray further from the mainland.
MiWire’s research solidifies the viability of the service, pointing out that vessels tend to spend around 80% of their journeys within sight of the shore, thus able to access terrestrial cellular networks. Telecom26’s powerful eSIM, enhanced by a proprietary Local Profile Assistant on device (LPAd) technology, proves to be instrumental for this maritime service. The eSIM profiles can be loaded onto a standard eUICC module, further installed into MiWire’s pre-existing router’s SIM slots, requiring no hardware alterations.
The routers maintain a database of coastal coverage, fortified with coast scans that pinpoint base stations and their affiliated carriers, employing this data to select optimum networks for robust data connectivity. The onboard antennas align with the finest mobile base stations for superior radio signal reception. Telecom26’s global network serves as a default profile, with eSIMs capable of tapping into cellular networks in over 200 nations and territories.
The application of Telecom26’s LPAd technology empowers the routers in various ways. Among these benefits are the ability to upgrade pre-existing routers to support eSIM and the facility for remote connectivity rule management. The routers can choose the aptest eSIM profile for each vessel location, also featuring fallback logic should an eSIM provider experience outages.
Telecom26 has circumvented the complexity and heightened costs associated with the GSMA’s “M2M eSIM” specification, designed for large scale IoT/M2M device deployments, by pioneering a unique approach for routers. Awaiting the GSMA’s new standards, Telecom26 has filled the gap with a solution that brings the eSIM tech convenience to industrial and commercial devices.
According to David Fleischer, CEO of MiWire, “Telecom26’s innovative and industry-leading LPAd technology is a game-changer for the maritime connectivity industry. Trials of our new service are consistently delivering fast, reliable, and always-on coverage”. Nicola Berardocco, CEO of Telecom26, added “Maritime connectivity is one of our core services with our customers able to use our global service which utilises the networks of hundreds of operators. Our collaboration with MiWire has produced the best data service available for commercial vessels.” These statements underline how swift and sweeping innovations in the tech world are changing the landscape of cross-industry operations, in this case, the maritime sector.
