The expansion and importance of the connectivity of objects is underscoring the pressing need for reliable solutions that maintain seamless connection and operation. Even in the most challenging conditions, the demand for robust and resilient connectivity infrastructure is becoming vital. Devices are often deployed in critical environments where any downtime could lead to significant consequences for users and businesses. For example, in healthcare, emergency services, industrial automation, connected vehicles and for retail operations.

Ensuring uninterrupted connectivity is therefore about safeguarding lives and key assets, ensuring businesses run smoothly, securing sensitive data. Investing in the most advanced IoT connectivity solutions such as CSL’s resilient rSIM technology is therefore crucial to support growth, ensure customer confidence and trust in services, operational effectiveness, and to meet regulatory requirements.

Understanding the shift to critical connectivity: Defining critical IoT connectivity and its market growth

Critical IoT Connectivity refers to the ability of devices to securely communicate and share data in a way that is essential for the functioning of important systems. It has become increasingly important to stay always connected, because the data is needed in real time, and they cannot afford an outage. This shift towards critical connectivity has significant implications for various industries, from healthcare to national infrastructure. With a market growth projected to soar in the coming years, businesses must adapt to this new reality to stay competitive and meet the demands of an increasingly connected world.

The adapted figure below outlines the primary categories that are directly affected by the need for critical connectivity:

Critical IoT Connectivity

Non-critical: Commonly where many connectivity providers sit, the connectivity here is still important but not critical to operations

Commercially Important/Required for Normal Activity: Important for everyday operations, such as machinery diagnostics or building access control.

Commercially Critical: Crucial for businesses, like retail operations, payment terminals or supply chain management systems.

Critical National Infrastructure and Security: Vital for national security and essential services like energy generation, supply, utilities, and border control.

Wellbeing Critical: Monitoring the health and safety of people and systems. Examples include long-term health monitoring and building management systems.

Life Critical: Focussing on saving lives in emergency situations. For example, connected fire alarms, lone worker protection, elderly telecare, and other healthcare solutions.

Critical IoT Connectivity: $37Bn market in 2033.

The market for IoT connections is predicted to hit £37 billion by 2033, showing the major expansion and importance of this industry. It is predicted that by 2033, there will be 4.8 billion critical connections worldwide, accounting for 69% of all connections in an increasingly interconnected world:

Downtime is driving the need for resilient IoT Connectivity

IoT devices are not only growing in quantity but are also being used in increasingly vital areas, where any slight interruption in their operation can have serious consequences. As a result, there is a rising need for reliable connectivity for critical IoT connections.

IoT devices are not only growing in quantity but are also being used in increasingly vital areas, where any slight interruption in their operation can have serious consequences. As a result, there is a rising need for reliable connectivity for critical IoT connections.

Network outages are still occurring. In fact, they’re increasing in both time and frequency. According to research by Uswitch, over 21 million consumers experienced broadband outages of three hours or more between summer 2022 and summer 2023! Disruption and downtime is always going to be there and always increase, the question is.. How bad is an outage for you and your business?

Additionally Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) are continuing to invest in upgrading their 2G and 3G networks to 4G and 5G, leaving life-critical applications with periods of unplanned downtime.

For example, last year, CSL conducted a survey of 800 companies who used IoT technologies for their services. We found that 98% had experienced at least one connectivity outage in the last three years, whereas 76.25% described the impact of the connectivity outages as moderately impactful or much higher.

Industry experts from the World Economic Forum have also emphasised the importance of reliable IoT connectivity. “Almost the entire society runs online, and the unavailability of information has gone from being a nuisance to a matter of life and death,” reinforcing the significance of utilising truly resilient connectivity solutions for our critical IoT applications.

These insights underscore the urgent need for innovative solutions that can provide seamless and uninterrupted connectivity. As the demand for secure and resilient IoT connections grows, CSL has responded with a groundbreaking innovation that promises to revolutionise the industry.

Innovation with rSIM: Introducing CSL’s groundbreaking solution

Over the years the markets we have operated in have faced numerous challenges, and as we support these operations, we’ve gained valuable experience in our mission to provide resilient connectivity. One of the most significant innovations to emerge from these experiences is our industry leading-edge rSIM technology.

rSIM is the world’s first truly resilient and intelligent SIM card. It monitors connectivity performance and actively switches profiles to ensure maximum uptime for devices and services. The technology is device-agnostic, meaning it can be used across a range of devices, enhancing its versatility and reliability from less smart to more sophisticated devices.

The rSIM effectively converts any single SIM device to dual path, more importantly it removes the need to re-engineer devises to store multiple SIMs.

How rSIM Works:

Automatic Profile Switching: rSIM uses patented technology to check its own network connectivity independently of the device and switch providers and core network pathways automatically when disruption occurs. This minimises the chances of the SIM and the device becoming disconnected during outages.

Dual Profiles: By holding two independent mobile operator profiles on a single SIM card, rSIM significantly reduces the risk of outages by autonomously switching to a backup core network profile if an outage is detected.

Local Multi-Network Secure Roaming: rSIM offers local roaming to all available in-country networks on both IMSI profiles. It also offers access to CSL’s industry renowned VPN infrastructure.

Patented: The rSIM’s innovative design and functionality are protected by patents, making our cutting-edge solutions unique in the market.

The immediate impact of rSIM technology for the Care Sector:

CSL recently announced the extension of our strategic partnership with Careium, leaders in Technology-Enabled Care (TEC) for elderly and vulnerable persons at home. This collaboration will see rSIM technology deployed in Careium’s range of TEC solutions, including live devices already in the field. This extra resilience could be the crucial difference between ensuring immediate assistance is available when counted on, such as after a fall.

Christian Walén, CEO at Careium, stated “Even short-term disruptions in connectivity uptime create significant service risks, and we needed a solution to minimise this. rSIM revolutionises connectivity resilience by constantly monitoring available networks and finding the best route to connect. Our users are more secure than ever, knowing that Careium and CSL, both leaders in quality and innovation, are ensuring the highest-level Critical Connectivity for their TEC devices….”

Read more on the announcement here.

The demand for critical IoT connectivity is growing rapidly as businesses across various sectors recognise the importance of reliable, resilient connectivity. CSL’s rSIM technology represents a significant advancement in ensuring uninterrupted IoT connectivity, addressing the challenges of critical IoT applications, and setting a new standard for resilience in the industry.

Are you ready to elevate your IoT solutions with unparalleled connectivity resilience? Speak to one of our Critical Connectivity experts today, and discover how CSL’s critical connectivity solutions can transform your operations: