Whether smoke detectors or washing machines, containers or production robots: more and more devices and machines are being integrated into the Internet of Things (IoT). According to the online portal Statista, there are currently around 27 billion worldwide. That may sound like a lot, but it doesn't even cover 0.6% of all networkable devices. By 2025, 75 billion IoT devices are expected to be in use, with an overall economic impact of 11.1 trillion US dollars per year.

The biggest growth drivers: smart factories with 3.7 trillion US dollars, smart cities with 1.7 trillion US dollars and applications in the field of digital healthcare with 1.6 trillion US dollars. This makes the IoT one of the most powerful disruptive technologies of our time, ahead of cloud computing, the mobile internet and robotics. And an opportunity for developers who are finding new business models thanks to the digitalization of their products.

More efficiency, lower costs

Such IoT solutions can help to optimize the entire supply chain - from production to customer delivery. While companies previously focused on the development of new services, business opportunities and greater customer satisfaction in connection with IoT, 30% now expect to use IoT to make processes more efficient and reduce costs. This is the result of a recent survey conducted by IDG among more than 500 decision-makers from the IT sector in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. According to the PAC study conducted in April 2019 among 161 German SMEs, 84% of the companies surveyed in this segment already use at least one IoT application, with 60% relying primarily on predictive maintenance, i.e. controlling and monitoring machines and vehicles.

However, the PAC study also shows that getting started with the Internet of Things is no child's play. 58% of respondents still see themselves as digital latecomers and are hardly planning any new IoT projects. "The biggest challenge is the current lack of standardization of solutions: Too many ideas, too many vague concepts and always just isolated solutions," says one participant. Developers should think about connectivity in particular at an early stage. Because it is an essential part of IoT applications.

SIM cards for IoT entry

Deutsche Telekom wants to simplify the start of reliable connectivity for IoT devices with 'Business Smart Connect'. These are pre-installed SIM cards that can be installed directly in trackers, sensors or other IoT devices. The IoT devices and SIM card connect to the cloud using the plug & play principle. The user does not need to install any local networks or gateways. Instead, the IoT devices use Telekom's entire mobile network: whether classic mobile networks such as 2G or the LTE network or radio technologies rolled out specifically for IoT such as NarrowBand IoT.

With Business Smart Connect, developers and providers of IoT products can book the right offer for them via Deutsche Telekom's web store - depending on the number of SIM cards required, the right tariff and the network needed. The offer ranges from 36 months (M2M Connect) to 50 months (LPWA Connect). The pre-configured SIM cards are delivered after around three days and are ready for immediate use. This allows developers and users to quickly and easily launch solutions ranging from smart smoke detectors to transparent supply chain monitoring.