8:00 AM Raco Wireless says its internal SIM lets companies stay connected across continents without paying hefty roaming fees

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

May 8, 2012

2 Min Read
M2M Goes Cross-Border

8:00 AM -- NEW ORLEANS -- International CTIA Wireless -- There's a new battleground in machine-to-machine (M2M), and it's going across borders.

T-Mobile US Inc. 's M2M spinoff RacoWireless is joining the likes of AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) and Sprint Corp. (NYSE: S) with a chip that lets enterprises connect their wares on international turf. (See Photos: MWC Pops With Bursty Devices and Sprint, Orange Strike M2M Deal.)

On Tuesday here in New Orleans, Raco announced the first customer to use its multi-mode international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) SIM: OnAsset Intelligence, an asset-tracking vendor that works with global shipping companies. (See Everything Everywhere, Raco Bring M2M to Europe.)

But Raco President John Horn says the SIM, developed in partnership with EE , is different from that competition in that it relies on local roaming agreements to connect out of the country, making things significantly cheaper for the enterprise.

"GSM gives us a worldwide footprint, but the uniqueness of the solution is the pricing structure and ability of the SIM to choose the least expensive pricing depending on the location," Horn says.

Raco was spun off from T-Mobile during the merger attempt with AT&T, and it's now recruiting customers -- 400 so far -- based on its preferred status with its former parent. (See Raco Wireless Sees 300 Percent M2M Growth, Raco Wireless Racks Up M2M Partners and T-Mobile Outsources Its M2M Strategy.)

M2M seems to have enough business to go around so far, as all the wireless operators are reporting robust customer lists. The international market is relatively untapped, and the operators that nail the coverage and flexible cost combo will ultimately rack up the most wins.

— Sarah Reedy, Senior Reporter, Light Reading Mobile

About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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