Smart city

Smart city connectivity: IoT SIMs for 1,000+ devices from US$0.60 each

One SIM and one platform for streetlights, parking sensors, waste bins, air quality monitors and traffic controllers. Mixed LTE-M, NB-IoT and 4G on one account with published pricing.

Order the free trial kit See IoT pricing

Smart city connectivity at a glance

Data per device 1MB to 10MB for lighting, parking and bins

Preferred technology NB-IoT for battery sensors

Roaming permanence Everything is fixed, so local profiles are mandatory in India, the Gulf, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt and Nigeria

Per active SIM ₹89 ($1) on IoT Go, $0.60 on IoT Scale

Per MB, pooled US$0.004 on Go, US$0.0025 on Scale

Worked example 1,500 devices at 10MB each: US$937.50 a month

Coverage 600+ networks, 180+ countries through our carrier partners

Trial 5 SIMs, 100MB, 30 days, free

Universal eSIMs supplies smart city connectivitys on 600+ networks in 180+ countries for US$1.00 per active SIM per month plus US$0.004 per MB pooled on IoT Go, or US$0.60 and US$0.0025 on IoT Scale from 1,000 SIMs. 1,500 devices at 10MB each on IoT Scale cost US$937.50 a month, US$0.625 per device, with inactive SIMs free.

Prices checked on 25 October 2026 · Inactive SIMs are free · No minimum order · Billed monthly in USD or INR

The problem

A city deployment is many small projects on one procurement. Streetlights need a few kilobytes a day, traffic controllers need a steady connection, environmental sensors run on batteries, and all of it must be tendered with a price that holds for five years. Integrators need a single supplier covering every radio technology, role-based access so each department sees only its devices, and prices they can put in a public bid.

IoT connectivity

Small SIM. Bigger possibilities.

Published pricing, no minimums, a platform and an API from the first SIM.

Connectivity requirements for smart city

Smart city connectivity requirements

Requirement What smart city needs Data per device per month 1MB to 10MB for lighting, parking and bins; 50MB to 500MB for traffic controllers and kiosks Latency Minutes for sensors; under 2 seconds for traffic and public safety devices Roaming permanence Everything is fixed, so local profiles are mandatory in India, the Gulf, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt and Nigeria Power Mains for lighting and traffic; battery for parking, bins and air quality Preferred technology NB-IoT for battery sensors; LTE-M for lighting controllers; 4G LTE for traffic, CCTV and kiosks

What you get

Typical devices

Streetlight controllers
Smart parking sensors
Waste bin fill-level sensors
Air quality and noise monitors
Traffic signal controllers
Public information kiosks and displays

Risks and how we handle them

Risk Our answer Tender prices that cannot be held because the supplier does not publish them Published tiers with an optional 12-month term for a further 10% off Departments seeing each other's devices Role-based access with per-group scoping and CSV export per department Permanent roaming on fixed infrastructure Local profiles via eUICC where required Mixed radio technologies needing multiple suppliers One SIM for 2G, 4G, LTE-M, NB-IoT and 5G where supported

Every SIM comes with the connectivity platform, the REST API and 600+ networks in 180+ countries. See the coverage and roaming rules for the countries you deploy in.

Worked cost example: 1,500 devices at 10MB each

Smart city monthly cost at published rates

Item Calculation Monthly Tier 1,500 active SIMs IoT Scale SIM fees 1,500 × US$0.60 US$900 Data fees 15,000MB × US$0.0025 US$37.50 Total 1,500 × US$0.60 + 15,000MB × US$0.0025 = US$937.50 a month US$937.50 Per device US$0.625

Pricing tiers for smart city deployments

Tier Active SIMs Per active SIM Per MB, pooled Inactive SIMs Contract Includes Next step IoT Go 1 to 999 active SIMs ₹89 ($1) per month US$0.004 Free None, cancel any time Global multi-IMSI SIM, platform, API, webhooks, email support Order online IoT Scale 1,000 to 10,000 active SIMs $0.60 per month US$0.0025 Free 12 months optional for a further 10% off Everything in Go plus pooled bundles, private APN, static IP, priority support Talk to us IoT Enterprise 10,000+ active SIMs Custom Custom Free Negotiated Everything in Scale plus eUICC profiles, SLA, dedicated manager, custom integrations Request a quote

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How to deploy smart city connectivitys in 4 steps

Test with the trial kit

5 SIMs with 100MB each, 30 days, shipped in 3 to 7 working days. Fit them in your streetlight controllers and check attach, signal and steering at real sites.

Order from 1 SIM

No minimum on IoT Go at US$1.00 per active SIM plus US$0.004 per MB. Choose 2FF, 3FF, 4FF or MFF2. API keys are issued instantly.

Configure for the use case

Published tiers with an optional 12-month term for a further 10% off. Local profiles via eUICC where required. Register a webhook so alerts reach your own platform.

Scale on published rates

At 1,000 active SIMs the rate drops automatically to US$0.6 and US$0.0025. Above 10,000, IoT Enterprise adds an SLA and a dedicated manager.

Universal eSIMs vs the alternatives for smart city

Smart city connectivity options compared

Option Price transparency Networks Minimum Smart city fit Universal eSIMs IoT SIM Published per SIM and per MB Multi-IMSI, 600+ networks None, order 1 SIM Published tiers with an optional 12-month term for a further 10% off Single-operator IoT contract Negotiated, roaming by zone One operator plus partners Often 500+ SIMs, 12 to 36 months Fine domestically; tender prices that cannot be held because the supplier does not publish them remains a risk Consumer SIMs in devices Retail bundles One operator None No bulk management, no IMEI lock, expiry to manage Onomondo, Pelion, 1GLOBAL (observed October 2026) Onomondo €0.0025 to €0.003 per MB; others not published Multi-network via partners Quote-led Capable platforms; sales process before a price

Universal eSIMs vs Onomondo vs Pelion vs 1GLOBAL

What each provider publishes on its own website, observed October 2026. We publish every price, accept orders from 1 SIM and ship a 100MB trial against the 50MB that is standard elsewhere.

IoT connectivity providers compared, observed October 2026

Provider Prices on website Per SIM Per MB Minimums and tiers Trial API Partner programme Universal eSIMs Published US$1.00 (IoT Go), US$0.60 (IoT Scale) US$0.004 (Go), US$0.0025 (Scale) None, order 1 SIM online 5 SIMs, 100MB each, 30 days Public docs, sandbox, Postman Published reseller and API terms Onomondo Partly Not published €0.0025 to €0.003 pay-as-you-go Tiers quote-only Free sandbox Public API docs Three-tier programme, no numbers Pelion Not published Not published Not published Essentials, Professional, Enterprise by quote 5 eUICC SIMs, 50MB each, 30 days Portal and APIs, docs on request None found 1GLOBAL Not published Not published Not published Four models: World Plans, Pay-as-you-grow, Shared Bundle, Shared Flex Enterprise sales process API on request Enquiry only

Competitor details are as displayed on their public pages in October 2026 and change without notice. Where a provider publishes no price we say so rather than guess.

Technical specifications

IoT SIM technical specifications

Specification Detail Form factors 2FF (mini), 3FF (micro), 4FF (nano), MFF2 (embedded, solderable) Radio technologies 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-M (Cat-M1), NB-IoT, 5G where supported SIM type Multi-IMSI with automatic steering; eUICC variants with remote SIM provisioning Remote provisioning GSMA SGP.02 (M2M) and SGP.32 (IoT) as supported by our profile partners Operating temperature Industrial grade: -40°C to +105°C on 2FF, 3FF, 4FF and MFF2 Write cycles and life 1,000,000 write cycles, 10-year minimum data retention, 15+ year design life on MFF2 Coverage 600+ networks, 180+ countries through our carrier partners SMS A2P machine SMS at US$0.03 per message; no voice Private networking Private APN, static IP, IPsec VPN on IoT Scale and above, setup from US$250

Security and compliance

These are commitments and a roadmap, stated plainly. We do not list certifications we do not yet hold.

Security and compliance commitments

Area What we do today Roadmap Data protection GDPR-compliant processing of connectivity metadata; data processing agreement available on request Data residency options in India and the EU planned for 2027 Information security Encrypted at rest and in transit; role-based access; audit log of every console and API action ISO 27001 certification is on our roadmap, target audit in 2027 API security Bearer keys scoped per role; HMAC-SHA256 signed webhooks; key rotation without downtime OAuth 2.0 client credentials for enterprise accounts Network security Data-only profiles; IMEI lock; APN restriction; private APN and IPsec on IoT Scale Private LTE breakout points in additional regions Availability Platform availability target 99.9% per month; public status page from launch Written SLA with service credits on IoT Enterprise Payload visibility We see ICCID, IMSI, network, timestamps and byte counts. We never see your device payload Unchanged

Fleet ready

From one tracker to ten thousand.

Multi-network SIMs, a platform to watch every device, and an API to automate the rest.

Smart city: questions engineers and procurement ask

Can one account manage devices for several city departments?

Yes. Group SIMs by department or project, assign roles per group, and give finance read-only access to invoices and CSV exports. Each department sees only its own SIMs, usage and alerts. The pooled data balance can be shared or split by group.

What do 1,500 city devices cost per month?

At 1,500 SIMs you are on IoT Scale: 1,500 × US$0.60 + 15,000MB × US$0.0025 = US$937.50 a month, or US$0.63 per device. With a 12-month term the SIM fee drops a further 10%. Enterprise pricing applies above 10,000 devices.

Will the price hold for a five-year contract?

IoT Scale pricing is published and we offer a 12-month term with a 10% reduction. For multi-year public tenders we agree a fixed per-SIM and per-MB schedule under IoT Enterprise with an SLA. We do not raise published prices on existing customers mid-term.

Do fixed city devices need local SIMs?

In India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, Egypt and Nigeria, yes. Our multi-IMSI SIM includes an Indian local profile and we provision other local profiles over the air on eUICC devices. In the EU, the United States and Australia roaming profiles are generally acceptable for M2M as understood in October 2026.

Can you handle NB-IoT streetlight sensors and 4G traffic controllers on one SIM type?

Yes. The same SIM supports 2G, 3G, 4G LTE, LTE-M, NB-IoT and 5G where the module and network support them. You order one SKU, in 2FF, 3FF, 4FF or MFF2, and the device decides the radio technology.

How do we integrate alerts with the city operations centre?

Register a webhook endpoint and we post signed JSON for attach, detach, threshold, geo-fence and IMEI events. Most operations platforms accept an HTTP POST into an incident queue. Usage data is also available by API for dashboards.

How does the free trial kit work?

Request it with a company address and use case. We verify the address, then ship 5 SIMs with 100MB each, valid 30 days, from India and the EU in 3 to 7 working days. You get console and API access on the day you request it, so you can start in the sandbox before the SIMs arrive.

Is there a minimum order or contract?

No. Order 1 SIM online on IoT Go at US$1.00 per active SIM per month with no contract. IoT Scale from 1,000 SIMs has an optional 12-month term that takes a further 10% off the SIM fee. IoT Enterprise above 10,000 SIMs is negotiated.

How quickly can I get API access?

Immediately. API keys are issued when you create an account. The REST API uses JSON, we publish a Postman collection, and there are snippets in Python, Node.js and cURL. A sandbox with simulated SIMs lets you test activation, usage and webhooks without hardware.

Related IoT and industry pages

IoT SIM pricing · Free trial kit · Developer quick start · Coverage and roaming rules · Fleet telematics · EV charging · Smart metering · POS and payments · Industry solutions · Partner API

Test smart city connectivitys in your own streetlight controllers

5 SIMs, 100MB each, 30 days. Then order from 1 SIM at published rates.

Order the free trial kit See pricing