Frequently Asked Questions

IoT connectivity made easy

Soracom is the only connectivity provider built specifically for IoT. Our sole purpose is to help IoT projects succeed, and most of us are active IoT developers. We created Soracom when we couldn’t find the connectivity we needed for our own projects.

We’re focused on giving you the wireless connections you need, when and where you need them, at a cost that supports your success, with full control of your network and secure cloud integrations you’d usually have to code for yourself.

That means projects get into field fast, cost less to maintain, and scale successfully from hundreds of devices to millions.

For enterprise users, direct connection to leading public clouds like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure can save months of development time and tens of thousands of dollars (if not more).

Early-stage projects can spin up detailed dashboards without a server and SSH into devices on demand to accelerate prototyping and speed to market without sacrificing security or control.

For more detail, check out our Products and Customers.

Soracom offers everything you’d expect from a reputable MVNO, plus a wide range of added capabilities specific to IoT.

IoT Connectivity Comparison Chart

Technically yes, though it might be fair to call us an un-MVNO. We offer multi-carrier cellular data and SMS capability that works with over 240 carriers in over 135 countries around the world. And we provide service on 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE and even Cat M1 networks where available.

But unlike other MVNOs, even IoT MVNOs, we don’t just repackage bandwidth. We created the industry’s first cloud-based telecommunications core, powering a built-in IoT Management Console that gives users full control over their own IoT networks and access to a deep toolkit designed specifically for IoT.

From serverless dashboards and agentless device access to remote provisioning, blended Sigfox LPWA solutions, and multiple private networking options, if we haven’t already built it, we’re probably working on as you read this.

IoT customers around the world, across industries from Agriculture, Energy, and Transportation to Manufacturing, Construction, Real Estate and Consumer Electronics trust Soracom to keep them connected help them grow.

Just as there is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for IoT,  your pricing plan should reflect your use case and data pattern. That’s why we offer the flexibility of 4 different pricing plans to match your needs. Our plans include Pay-as-you-go, low volume, fixed usage for developers, and pooled options; each available with global coverage and without long-term commitments.

Soracom’s connectivity grants users access to the Soracom User Console, SIM life-cycle management, speed classes, event hander, powerful API controls, and easy automation, all to better manage the total cost of ownership for your connected fleet.

Our pricing is designed to help your deployment scale, with volume discounts applied as your number of devices and data usage grows. There are even options for additional value-added services that cover everything from device provisioning to private networking to remote access capabilities.

If you’re interested in learning how Soracom can work for your deployment, speak with one of our specialists to design an IoT solution that works for your budget.

Everything. The Soracom Management Console is included at no cost and gives you complete access to all Soracom platform services.

That starts with complete self-service network management. You can always see how much data your SIMs are using, pause connections when you need to troubleshoot, change speed classes, and a whole lot more.

You also get access to Soracom’s full IoT toolkit: everything from serverless data storage and visualization to remote device provisioning, packet inspection, cloud integration and private IoT networking. (note: we do have to charge for some of these, but pricing is fully disclosed before you turn anything on.)

And anything you can do from the console, you can also do programmatically with the Soracom API (or on the fly with the Soracom CLI).

If you work directly with a large operator, you’ll quickly find that you don’t really control your own network. Want to turn a SIM off? Contact support and wait 48 hours. Want to know how much data you’re using? Wait for your bill at the end of the month. Want a single combined bill showing total usage for all of your SIMs? Good luck with that.

You can improve the situation by buying a console from a third party, but we don’t think you should have to.

Reliable, affordable connectivity really is just the start. We offer a broad set of tools for data and protocol management, cloud integration, and private IoT networking.

Once you’re signed up in the management console, you can set up additional services to do things like visualize device data without setting up a server, SSH directly to devices, reduce bandwidth and power consumption on devices, connect directly to your cloud or private server environment, or create your own private IoT VPN.

Because our telecom core is built on AWS, you can connect directly and privately with leading public clouds and cloud functions in just a few clicks, without installing SDKs or device-side agents or writing any custom code.

Absolutely. In fact, over half of the connections we support today are driven by enterprise customers. Our global coverage, cloud integration, and private IoT networking capabilities align perfectly with the scale and security needs of global businesses and industrial applications.

We currently support use cases in transportation, construction, asset tracking and even power plant management for global players like Fujitec, Fujitsu Limited, IHI, Komatsu, Nikon-Trimble, and Sharp. And customers like Sourcenext trust Soracom for to connect over a million consumer electronics devices around the world..

We know that IoT isn’t always easy. Success often requires a deep understanding of hardware, software, cloud architecture, and connectivity… at the very least. That technical complexity has a lot to do with why most IoT projects never get past the prototype stage.

We’re ready to help with 24/7 support and a dedicated team of Solution Architects ready to work with you every step of the way, from hardware selection to network architecture to in-field troubleshooting.

Soracom has helped thousands of IoT projects get to field around the world, in almost every category you can imagine. From agriculture and energy to industry, government, transportation, real estate, and consumer electronics, we’ve helped our customers succeed and learned a lot along the way about what works and what doesn’t.

Visit the Soracom Developer Site for a complete set of always-updated reference material and documentation including: