MTN South Africa, subsidiary of MTN Group has announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Eseye that will see it standardise on a global eSIM (embedded subscriber identity module) and IoT (internet of things) platform solution. MTN South Africa provides voice, data, fintech, digital, enterprise, wholesale and API (application programming interface) services to 36.5 million customers. Looking to bolster and enhance existing IoT SIM management capabilities, MTN was looking for a connectivity management platform to complete its customer offering with management of eSIMs, global SIMS (subscriber identity modules) and have a multi-IMSI capability.
Eseye’s Integra IoT platform for MNOs (Mobile network operators) was selected to support future MTN IoT connectivity solution, which will see millions of IoT devices onboarded and connected. Through Eseye, MTN will provide multi-dimensional solutions that go beyond connectivity management to deliver on a range of IoT value added services.
“Our mission is to be Africa’s leading digital platform, unlocking economic growth through financial and digital solutions for consumers and businesses of all sizes. We aim to create a marketplace that supports digital economies through affordable, inclusive, simple and comprehensive services.” says Lawrence Juku, head of IoT solutions at MTN business.
“Our strategic partnership with Eseye will enable us to sell diverse IoT services such as connectivity, IoT bundles, and value-added services to help our customers meet their IoT global needs. Eseye’s deep IoT connectivity platform technical expertise will serve MTN well in the future. Our new IoT connectivity management Platform, powered by Eseye, will enable us to meet our aggressive IoT connectivity goals, and deliver differentiated services across different IoT verticals.” adds Juku.
The agreement will see Eseye’s Integra solution deployed in South Africa, with aim of expanding solution to 18 operating companies across Africa. It will allow different operating companies to evolve and utilise solution to meet their own requirements and market needs. This involves integration with MTN’s current infrastructure, utilising Eseye’s deep engineering skills and experience in deploying IoT solutions to meet MTN’s global needs, and supporting customers with pan-African IoT deployments.
Moving forward MTN will have capability to support customers with new IoT device connections, both across Africa and internationally. It will also deliver a future-proofed solution that allows for technology evolution and compliance with recent standards and regulations.
“We are proud to be awarded this multi-year agreement with MTN, which is a significant contract for Eseye and demonstrates the calibre of not only our technology, but also our IoT expertise. This contract involves a complex technical process and we have already invested a huge amount of work in the technical project set-up phase, which will be ongoing for the foreseeable months.” says Nick Earle, CEO, Eseye.
MTN chose Eseye because it had confidence in our ability to deliver, having done so for other global MNOs, and our technical know-how combined with our hardware, connectivity, software and end-to-end IoT services expertise, which is second to none in the market. We’re delighted that MTN, as one of our longest serving partners, has put its trust in Eseye to deliver a new global eSIM and IoT Platform that will help their customers achieve their extended IoT goals. Work is already well underway, and we are excited for what the future holds.” adds Earle.
Eseye offers end-to-end IoT connectivity solutions including a rare blend of hardware and solution architecture skills, device design services, and hardware proof of concepts, combined with its multi-carrier and resilient IoT connectivity capabilities, deployment services, and long-term device design, software, and hardware support services. Additionally, Eseye provides advanced SIM technology, connectivity managed services, as well as IoT routers and software to optimise connectivity for remote devices.
Comment on this article below or via Twitter: @IoTNow OR @jcIoTnow
