PARTNER CONTENT: As the IoT ecosystem continues to expand both in terms of adoption and range of supported use cases, new challenges around scale, complexity and security have emerged which require a change of mindset for deployments.
Here, Thales VP mobile connectivity solutions, cybersecurity and digital identity Eva Rudin and Gregory Laloy, head of IoT product line at the company, discuss challenges and opportunities within the segment and how these can be best addressed in 2025 and beyond.
In today’s era of IoT growth, Rudin highlighted the need for ubiquitous cellular connectivity has “now extended to a wide range of objects and devices, including smart meters, body cameras, trackers or health monitoring devices, to name a few”.
With this boom, simply managing connectivity is no longer sufficient and there is now a requirement for scalable solutions featuring “embedded cyber security,” which “make usage and deployments simple”.
Laloy added today’s enterprises are looking for simplicity, efficiency and scalability in their IoT deployments, while challenges related to cybersecurity are also a key consideration.
One of the enablers of massive IoT deployments is the development of a GSMA-defined eSIM IoT standard, which facilitates remote SIM provisioning for devices, called SGP.32.
The previous eSIM M2M standards were developed for demanding use cases in 2013 and have been successfully used around the globe. However, the experts noted the diversity of connected objects now on the market is very different from a decade ago.
The new standard is the mobile industry’s response to the need to enable massive cellular IoT through eSIM for these new types of IoT devices. It has been designed to simplify the deployment and management of a wide range of devices being adopted by verticals, often at large scale.
Laloy told Mobile World Live Thales was in the final phase of testing and security certification for a global solution supporting this standard, which is set to be backwards compatible and will be available in Q2 2025.
The company began developing the concept of blending the eSIM consumer concepts with IoT needs, which are at the core of SGP.32, several years ago. Thales gathered expertise in the field with 20 pre-standard deployments based on mature consumer eSIM technology.
An approach cited by Laloy as gaining in importance in the IoT ecosystem is in-factory provisioning. It is especially efficient for low power devices which need to save energy once deployed and require strong security, for example smart meters.
It applies to connectivity, making sure the correct subscription is in place before being deployed, and for security, enabling the injection of the device’s secure ID, the foundation of protection once in the field.
Security
As is the case across many industries and connected technologies cybersecurity is a pressing issue within IoT. Successful attacks could lead to service disruption and financial losses, while the spectre of quantum computers only increases potential risks.
In response to this growing threat regulation is on the rise in markets across the globe, including the EU Cyber Resilience Act and US Cyber Trust Mark.
“Implementing the proper level of protection with an effective lifecycle management of devices to ensure compliance is key,” Laloy added. “Hardware-based security is an important way to ensure protection for many IoT applications. Cybersecurity must be integrated at the initial phase in any project of rollout, following the fundamentals of security-by-design”.
Robust protection must be present for the complete lifecycle of the device, with the mantra of ‘Build, Run, Protect,’ a strategy Thales promotes for IoT deployments across a range of industries.
The ‘Build’ element refers to the design phase where there is a need for OEMs and IoT service providers to control the number of device variants and connectivity choices.
‘Run’ concerns production, deployment and maintenance, while ‘Protect’ covers the need for an end-to-end cybersecurity journey from the production line to long-term operation.
Thales seeks to address these issues through the provision of a range of industry-grade, standardised, futureproof hardware solutions to secure and connect devices while providing a connectivity suite to enable a global, secure, resilient and cost-effective connectivity from production to operation.
Addressing this area is vital, the experts emphasised, as the number of connected devices continues to increase so too does the volume of data generated and the size of the potential attack surface.
An increase in the types of deployment and amount of data being collected can open the door to reputational damage and even legal cases should that information fall into the hands of criminals.
Evolution
Analyst projections for IoT connections are encouraging for those operating in the ecosystem. In December 2024 GSMA Intelligence predicted a compound annual growth rate of 8 per cent for the metric between 2023 and 2030. By the last year of its range the analyst house predicts there will be 38.7 billion.
While welcoming recent predictions, Thales experts are keen to point out that more important than volume is the addition of users across new vertical industries which all have their own specific requirements.
Examples include smart metering for the utility segment and track and trace, the latter area was identified as very promising given the complexities of transporting goods around the globe and applications for worker safety.
Another trend Thales has noted in the market over a number of years is a shifting business model for traditional equipment manufacturers, which are moving from just selling devices to more of a service model.
Examples include for predictive maintenance, consumption, monitoring or data analysis. Businesses are also keen to cut their carbon footprints in-line with broader environmental goals.
Rudin noted while many see value in cellular connectivity, they may lack experience and expertise here, especially if it’s a new area of focus for the company.
Hurdles include an understanding the technology, network options and best practices alongside different security needs.
Thales executives highlighted the company is dedicated to supporting its customers embrace changes in the connectivity ecosystem, including the adoption of eSIM and transition to IoT technology.
In terms of eSIM, it plays a big role in the ecosystem and is committed to keeping its customers informed about standards, developments and market trends to ensure they are getting the most out of the technology.
For those transitioning to IoT, it supports them in understanding requirements and impact of the technology on their existing infrastructure.
With solutions tailored to meet partners’ individual requirements Thales aims to aid deployments in a secure, simple and cost-effective way. To learn about Thales’ latest innovations book a meeting with a representative at MWC25 Barcelona in March.