What to consider before scaling your IoT business from US to Europe

Congratulations, you've developed and successfully deployed an IoT product in the US. While you are probably already thinking about V2 of your product, you might also be considering expanding your customer base by deploying or selling in Europe. Or maybe you just secured an international customer but developed your product with North American markets in mind.

There are a lot of things to consider, from hardware requirements to which carriers to use and which technologies are supported in different countries.

Hardware considerations

The first step is ensuring the hardware you have selected for North America will work in Europe. Modules come in different versions to be compatible with different bands used by telecoms, depending on the region. For example, SIMCom's lineup of modules has a designation for the supported region, such as NA for North America. Some models have a global variant that will work on all bands used worldwide, usually designated as Global or G. Be sure to check your module's model number and spec sheet to confirm you use the right version in the correct region.

"One of the major stumbling blocks we see with customers' first international expansion is using hardware that was selected for use in their home market, without confirming it will perform the same in other countries," – Taavi Jõgeva, Sales Director at 1oT

If in doubt, you can always reach out to 1oT, and we can help verify if the module is appropriate for your new deployment. We can also recommend suitable alternatives if your current hardware is not the best fit for Europe.

Network Choices in Europe

In the US, we are used to the idea of having three major telecoms. If you factor in Mexico and Canada, you have to navigate only 3 to 12 networks to cover vast territory. In the EU, with its 27 countries, there are around 89 networks. Depending on your deployment requirements, you may need to access multiple networks per country to ensure seamless connectivity.

1oT works with the top European telecoms such as KPN, Tele2, and T-Mobile to provide the best footprint for IoT connectivity in Europe. This also means we can ensure the best possible service, whether you consume a couple of KBs or GBs per SIM, since the traffic is not routed across the Atlantic Ocean.  

The other, often overlooked, consideration is whether your chosen cellular technology has been deployed or sunsetted in your required countries. Most European countries are shutting down 3G, with 2G soon to follow. In the US, 2G sunsets have been happening first.

In addition to traditional cellular footprints, LTE-M and NB-IoT have developed significantly in the EU, with both being deployed in many countries. 1oT helps you navigate all of these considerations and ensures you stay connected despite the complicated European telecom landscape.

1oT has a dedicated team of IoT experts in Europe and the US, so you can rest assured that the time zone differences won't impact your connectivity. Whether you have a customer in France or Texas, 1oT can support your IoT deployment without waiting until the next day.

Since we work with 12 carriers and provide connectivity in 190 countries, we can cover all your IoT connectivity needs. Contact us to get started with effortless connectivity!