NB-IoT and LTE-M

NB-IoT and LTE-M SIM cards: low-power connectivity from US$1.00 a month

One SIM for Cat-M1 and NB-IoT devices with 2G and 4G fallback where LPWA is missing. Confirmed per network before you ship, and priced per MB in public.

Order the free trial kit See IoT pricing

LPWA at a glance

Technologies LTE-M (Cat-M1), NB-IoT (Cat-NB1, NB2), with 2G, 4G LTE and 5G fallback

Price ₹89 ($1) per active SIM plus US$0.004 per MB; US$0.6 and US$0.0025 from 1,000

Power saving PSM and eDRX supported; steering tuned for sleeping devices

LTE-M roaming Broad in North America, Europe, Japan, Australia; growing elsewhere

NB-IoT roaming Network by network; confirmed per country before shipping

Coverage check GET /v1/coverage, no key needed

Form factors 2FF, 3FF, 4FF, MFF2 eUICC

Trial 5 SIMs, 100MB, 30 days

Universal eSIMs NB-IoT and LTE-M SIM cards cost US$1.00 per active SIM per month plus US$0.004 per MB pooled on IoT Go, falling to US$0.60 and US$0.0025 on IoT Scale from 1,000 SIMs. One multi-IMSI SIM covers Cat-M1 and NB-IoT where partner networks support them across 180+ countries, with 2G and 4G LTE fallback and PSM and eDRX support.

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

What you get

Dual LPWA on one SIM

LTE-M and NB-IoT where the partner network offers them, with automatic fallback to 2G or 4G LTE on another IMSI where they do not. No second SKU for countries without NB-IoT.

Battery-aware steering

Steering tuned so devices in PSM or eDRX do not cycle networks every time they wake. Attach counts in diagnostics show you which devices are wasting energy.

Confirmed, not assumed

We confirm LTE-M and NB-IoT per network and per country before you ship, and we say where NB-IoT roaming is absent. See the coverage page.

NB-IoT and LTE-M pricing

Example: 3,000 × US$0.60 + 6,000MB × US$0.0025 = US$1,815 a month for 3,000 NB-IoT sensors at 2MB each on IoT Scale. Full detail on the pricing page.

IoT SIM pricing by volume tier

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 choose and deploy LPWA connectivity

Pick the technology for the device

Static battery sensor sending bytes: NB-IoT. Moving device, firmware updates or voice: LTE-M. Unsure: a Cat-M1 and NB-IoT dual-mode module with 2G fallback.

Check the countries

Call GET /v1/coverage or ask us for a country list with LTE-M and NB-IoT confirmed per network. We reply within 2 working days.

Test with the trial kit

5 SIMs with 100MB each cover a month of readings from five test positions. Check attach time, signal class and PSM timer grants in the diagnostics view.

Deploy and watch the attach counts

Roll out, then use diagnostics and webhooks to find devices that re-attach too often or fall back to 2G, and fix the antenna or placement early.

NB-IoT vs LTE-M vs 4G LTE Cat-1 vs 2G

LPWA and legacy technologies compared

Technology Typical throughput Power Mobility Indoor penetration Roaming Best for NB-IoT 20 to 150 kbps Lowest; 10-year battery possible Poor; no handover Best, +20 dB over LTE Network by network Static meters, pits, agriculture sensors LTE-M (Cat-M1) Up to 1 Mbps Low; multi-year battery Good; handover supported Good, +15 dB Broad and growing Trackers, wearables, meters with updates 4G LTE Cat-1 / Cat-1 bis 5 to 10 Mbps Moderate; mains or large battery Full Standard LTE Universal POS, chargers, gateways, appliances 2G (GPRS/EDGE) 50 to 200 kbps Moderate Full Good Where 2G still exists Legacy devices; bridge only

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 specifics

LPWA technical specifics

Item Detail 3GPP releases LTE-M Cat-M1 (Rel-13 onward), NB-IoT Cat-NB1 and NB2 (Rel-13 and Rel-14) PSM T3324 and T3412 timers honoured where the network grants them; maximum sleep about 413 days under Rel-13 eDRX Paging cycles up to about 44 minutes on LTE-M and about 3 hours on NB-IoT, network permitting Bands Depends on the module and network; common LTE-M and NB-IoT bands are 1, 3, 5, 8, 20, 28 in India, Europe and APAC, and 2, 4, 12, 13, 66 in North America IP IPv4 by default; IPv6 and non-IP data delivery (NIDD) on request per network SMS A2P SMS at US$0.03 on LTE-M; SMS over NB-IoT depends on the network Steering Preferred network per country configurable; attach back-off for sleeping devices

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

NB-IoT and LTE-M questions

What is the difference between NB-IoT and LTE-M?

Both are 3GPP low-power wide-area standards on 4G networks. LTE-M (Cat-M1) gives up to about 1 Mbps, supports handover between cells, voice and firmware updates, and suits moving or mains-powered devices. NB-IoT (Cat-NB1 and NB2) gives tens of kbps, penetrates deeper into buildings and pits, and suits static battery sensors sending a few bytes a day.

Does your SIM support both?

Yes. The same SIM supports LTE-M and NB-IoT where the partner network does, plus 2G, 3G, 4G LTE and 5G fallback on another IMSI where LPWA is missing. The module decides the radio technology; the SIM gives it the network access.

Do NB-IoT and LTE-M roam internationally?

LTE-M roaming is broad across North America, Europe, Japan, Australia and growing in Latin America, Asia and Africa. NB-IoT roaming is narrower and network-by-network. We confirm availability per country and per network before you ship; the coverage API lists technologies by country.

What does an NB-IoT SIM cost?

The same as any Universal eSIMs IoT SIM: US$1.00 (₹89) per active SIM per month plus US$0.004 per MB on IoT Go, or US$0.60 and US$0.0025 on IoT Scale from 1,000 SIMs. A meter using 2MB a month costs US$1.008 on Go or US$0.605 on Scale.

How do PSM and eDRX affect my connectivity?

Power saving mode and extended discontinuous reception let the device sleep for hours or days while staying registered. The network must grant the timers the device requests. We configure steering so a sleeping device does not re-attach needlessly, and diagnostics show attach counts so you can spot a device that is thrashing.

Can I send firmware updates over NB-IoT?

Technically yes, but slowly: a 200KB update can take 10 to 30 minutes on NB-IoT and may drain a battery. Use LTE-M for devices that need regular updates, and reserve NB-IoT for sensors where updates are rare and small.

Which is better for smart meters?

LTE-M for electricity meters that need remote disconnect and updates; NB-IoT for water and gas meters in pits and basements. See the smart metering page for a worked example of 2,000 meters at US$0.605 per meter per month.

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.

What about permanent roaming restrictions?

Countries including India, Brazil, Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Nigeria restrict foreign SIMs that stay long term. We provide local profiles where needed and publish a roaming-rules table on the coverage page, hedged as understood in October 2026. Tell us the countries and we confirm the approach per deployment.

Related IoT pages

• IoT SIM pricing
· • Free trial kit
· • Developer quick start
· • Coverage and roaming rules
· • Smart metering
· • Asset tracking
· • Agriculture
· • eSIM and eUICC
· • Partner API

Test NB-IoT and LTE-M in your own field sites

Five SIMs, 100MB each, 30 days. Enough for a month of readings from five positions.

Order the free trial kit Ask for a country list

NB-IoT and LTE-M SIM card

Low-power wide-area IoT SIM with LTE-M, NB-IoT and fallback, published pricing.

Product Brand: Universal eSIMs