This report, sponsored by Eseye, examines the new SGP.32 ("IoT") standard for Remote SIM Provisioning (RSP) and the ways in which enterprises should be considering its use. SGP.32 is not a magic wand. It does not solve all of the challenges of deploying multi-country IoT connectivity. For most enterprise deployments it is optimally done as part of a managed service which handles all aspects of managing the connectivity besides just the eSIM profile switching. Furthermore, as it is not yet available, any company considering deploying SGP.32 today will need to ensure that a connectivity provider offers a well-considered roadmap for evolving to using that particular standard.
The SGP.32 ("IoT") standard for Remote SIM Provisioning was unveiled in May 2023, promising a more streamlined and user-friendly mechanism for enterprises to manage the connectivity on their cellular devices. As an evolution on the previous SGP.02 ("M2M") and SGP.22 ("Consumer") standards, it certainly represents several steps forward, resolving many of the technical limitations on supporting constrained devices and offering a simplified mechanism for handling switch-over of connections between operators. But that is just one element of the story.
This report starts with a brief background on eSIM and remote SIM provisioning, with a particular focus on how SGP.32 is an improvement on previous standards. The main focus of the report is on addressing some of the myths and misunderstandings associated with the technology. It is not, on its own, a magic wand that can be used to seamlessly provide unlimited access to every network. The truth is more complicated. Commercial contracts need to be negotiated with network operators, and back-end processes and settings need to be updated to reflect a change of connectivity provider. It's not just as simple as flipping a switch and changing from operator A to operator B. And, equally importantly, SGP.32 is not actually available today and likely won't be until 2025. Therefore anyone looking to deploy IoT imminently will need to use a different option and seek support to migrate to the new standard when it's available.
We expect that most SGP.32 deployments will be handled not by the enterprise itself but by a managed service provider (most obviously the existing connectivity providers) handling the orchestration of connectivity changes and providing a managed transition to SGP.32 when the time comes. In the final section we consider what the profile should be of such an SGP.32 managed service provider.
There is a very significant risk with SGP.32 that the real (and perceived) benefits will blind enterprises to the realities of the intricacies of managing the overall IoT solution deployment and the requirements for a migration path to get there.
This Position Paper, sponsored by Eseye, is free to download. By downloading the Position Paper you agree to allow Transforma Insights to share your email address with the sponsor of the report.
