Edge computing and flat rate NB-IoT
This is the 3rd blog in the series of blogs on Edge computing by Bob Emmerson titled, “Edge computing adds virtualisation and hyperconvergence: Part 1” & “Edge computing adds virtualisation and hyperconvergence: Part 2” focused on a development that looks set to have wide-ranging implications for the future of IoT.
They also looked at an intrinsic issue that this development has addressed, i.e. the fact that the regular IoT infrastructure is not fit for purpose, one example being the proliferation of operational technology (OT) silos. Another, which is outlined in this blog, is the need for a cost-effective connectivity model that matches the modest bandwidth requirements of today’s edge-centric networks.
The requisite technology is an established 4G service known as NB-IoT that was developed to provide low power, cost-effective, wide area network performance having data rates measured in a couple of hundreds of kbps. That was and still is more than adequate for most IoT applications as the transfer of large amounts of data is not required.
However, edge-centric computing, which involves processing and analysing data at the local level, means that it is no longer necessary to send all the data to the cloud for processing and analysis. These solutions may only need to send a few bits of data on a daily or weekly basis; therefore, regular NB-IoT services designed for regular solutions are over-engineered and over-priced. They cannot enable a cost-effective model for an economy involving billions of IoT devices.
Bob Emmerson
Creating bills and managing contracts results in a significant overhead, which is inevitable, but when data traffic is very low then the cost can exceed the perceived value of the service. Therefore, there is a clear and compelling need to replace the traditional one-size-fits-all mobile telecoms model and market an alternative that will facilitate and accelerate the deployment of billions of IoT devices, thereby enabling an IoT-centric economy that has been long on promise but relatively short on delivery.
At MWC 2018 a new IoT carrier, 1NCE, unveiled a flat rate offer of 500Mb over ten years for €10. At first sight that sounds like a service that’s too good to be true, but Deutsche Telekom is a partner and 1NCE employs its host network. Moreover, DT guarantees transparent IoT connectivity across this multi-territory network. So, one can assume that this is a robust model and that the new carrier has the necessary resources to stay the 10-year course.
The ability to create this ground-breaking model and presumably make a profit comes from DT’s high-performance core network and a self-service managed connectivity platform. Sales of the flat-rate services are scheduled for August 2018 and at that time the platform will be available to manage and control the SIMs.
The author of this blog is Bob Emmerson, freelance IoT writer and commentator
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