Making IoT Connectivity More Flexible: The Future of Scalable Connectivity

What happens when IoT connectivity becomes more complicated as deployments scale?

In this episode of The IoT Podcast, host Jake Gilbert, Head of 5V Tech, sits down with Jan Buis, CCO & Co-Founder of The IoT Guide, to explore the challenges businesses face when managing connectivity at scale and why more flexible models could offer a different approach.

Jan shares his journey from telecoms and Wi-Fi into IoT, including how the IoT Guide evolved from an MVP focused on connectivity challenges into a platform designed to help businesses manage multiple connectivity solutions. The conversation also looks at the limitations of traditional prepaid and postpaid models, and how the IoT Guide’s wallet approach combines elements of both.

Jake and Jan also discuss:

• Why IoT connectivity becomes more complex as deployments scale
• The challenges of prepaid and postpaid connectivity models
• How the wallet model works and where it can be useful
• Why hardware vendors are increasingly looking at connectivity as an additional service
• How white-label connectivity can bring vendors closer to their customers
• Use cases including backup connectivity and consumer wearables
• The growing role of eSIM and flexible connectivity models
• What hardware vendors should consider when choosing a connectivity partner
• Why understanding how customers use connected products is so important

The episode also looks ahead at how flexible, usage-based connectivity could develop, including the role of eSIM profiles and changing approaches to connectivity in IoT.

Chapters

• 00:00 – Introduction to IoT Guide
• 02:57 – The evolution of IoT connectivity
• 04:26 – Guiding businesses through connectivity
• 07:03 – Connectivity challenges at scale
• 09:00 – Prepaid vs postpaid
• 10:26 – The wallet model
• 11:46 – Backup connectivity use cases
• 14:31 – Connectivity as a service
• 16:39 – How the IoT Guide began
• 18:48 – Simplifying connectivity
• 20:58 – Selling connectivity as a service
• 24:14 – White-label connectivity
• 29:05 – Consumer wearables
• 32:02 – Bringing vendors closer to customers
• 35:52 – The future of eSIM
• 37:53 – Will flexible models become standard?
• 40:01 – Choosing a connectivity partner
• 42:24 – Learning from customer usage
• 44:28 – The importance of connectivity
• 45:23 – Final thoughts

About The Things Industries

The Things Industries is a leading provider of enterprise LoRaWAN® network solutions, enabling companies to build, operate, and scale secure IoT networks. Founded in 2015 and based in Amsterdam, its core product, The Things Stack, is a carrier-grade LoRaWAN Network Server trusted by enterprises worldwide. Its technology powers use cases from cold chain logistics to smart parking, with customers including Bosch, Panasonic, and Deutsche Bahn.

Find out more: www.thethingsindustries.com

SUBSCRIBE TO THE IOT PODCAST ON YOUR FAVOURITE LISTENING PLATFORM: https://linktr.ee/theiotpodcast

Contact us to become a guest/partner: https://theiotpodcast.com/contact/