While the OTT players are dead in the water without a data connection, it’s the very fact that SMS can be used over a cellular network, without a data connection, that makes it a powerful tool for IoT devices. This ensures that some 30 years after the first ‘txt’ was sent, SMS still remains relevant today.

Just like your mobile phone, remote IoT devices connect to long range cellular networks. In days-gone-by mobile devices relied upon removable SIM cards configured to connect with specific mobile operators. But with IoT has come embedded SIM technology, or eSIM for short. Here an eSIM is permanently built into an IoT device at the point of manufacture. This improves reliability and security, while also reducing space. Crucially for IoT providers, eSIM’s can be provisioned and configured remotely over a mobile network, and this is where SMS is being leveraged.