Simplifying the Spaghetti Model of Global IoT Connectivity (2025)

When weather forecasters try to predict the track and intensity of a hurricane, the various projections generate what is commonly referred to as the Spaghetti model, as it often looks like a jumble of entwined lines that are impossible to decipher. In the world of IoT and connected devices, sensors and systems across the globe, we have our own pile of spaghetti that often can be difficult to untangle—and manage.

When devices are located in different geographic regions or countries, the complexity of connecting and managing them can become an unwieldy tangle of contracts, roaming service agreements, SIM and IMSI options and locale-specific regulations and policies. As with hurricane forecasting, the variables for many enterprises can be staggering to comprehend and overwhelming to a business. Similar to the Florida homeowner trying to make sense of a hurricane forecast, the enterprise manager trying to keep a handle on connectivity faces a complex and often confusing sea of options that is multiplied by each region or jurisdiction in which the company operates. This situation illustrates the need for a unified and streamlined method to not only establish connectivity but also to manage performance and assure always-on service.

The Global Wireless IoT Network Landscape

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IoT devices are commonly used to monitor critical systems, track assets, provide time-critical data for operations or safety or enable remote management and control. Deployed in locations from factory floors in urban centers to remote mines or agricultural sites, IoT devices primarily rely on wireless networks to connect with corporate services and resources.

In the U.S., there are several nationwide mobile network operators that dominate the marketplace for voice and broadband access. However, while all offer IoT connectivity, there is an even larger number of mobile virtual network operators and other players that specialize in enterprise IoT, supporting thousands of devices per customer.

The combination of large voice-focused MNOs and smaller specialized MVNOs is common in many other countries as well. The sheer quantity of providers and the differences in how they operate produce a mind-numbing number of options for a global enterprise.

Performance is the Primary Concern

Enterprise managers are typically more interested in the performance and reliability of the connection than in which network operator actually provides the infrastructure. With the rapid advancement of IoT applications that include video or other latency-sensitive data, the requirement for more robust and always-on connections is becoming fundamental for many organizations. These performance requirements magnify the need for a higher level of connection planning and management at every location.

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Strategies for managing network connections to address both performance and regulatory compliance in local jurisdictions generally fall into a hands-off use of standard wireless roaming or employing a more controllable approach using localized connections.

Roaming or Local Connections

Taking advantage of MNO international roaming agreements, devices can operate in many global regions using an IMSI from the enterprise’s "home network." However, in some countries, roaming duration is limited, making it impractical for permanent installations. In addition, roaming devices may be able to connect to multiple networks but only one at a time. In this case there is little ability to continually monitor or manage performance or quality or to recover quickly from a network outage or marginalized wireless signal. And finally, roaming can make compliance with local data sovereignty regulations difficult—since information may be tunneled back to the home network rather than terminating at a local server or storage system.

To avoid the inefficiencies of roaming, an enterprise could contract directly with local MNOs or MVNOs for wireless service. This approach might work well for a small number of devices or locations but the level of effort to obtain and maintain multiple contracts in multiple locations can quickly spiral out of control.

The better alternative is to employ a managed platform which includes access to an IoT core network with local points of presence (POP) and integrations with MNOs and MVNOs around the world. Connecting through local wireless services, IoT devices access the IoT core network, enabling service that is fully controllable by the enterprise manager without the complications that come with roaming.

These platforms can provide a simplified front end for customers by managing all the intricacies of contracts, SLAs and local regulatory compliance. They should provide a single interface that allows complete visibility and control of every IoT device whenever or wherever required. This approach delivers simple and consistent compliance management and typically provides more control over latency.

IMSI Management

Another tremendous benefit of managing connections locally is the opportunity to intelligently control uptime and resilience by having redundant network options for each device through an onboard multi-IMSI approach.

These multi-IMSI features are available in some devices through the activation of a second physical SIM or eSIM – but in most cases switching between networks requires user or management platform intervention. When using a comprehensive connectivity management platform, enterprises can exercise greater levels of control and apply customized logic to ensure always-on service.

These platforms allow managers to easily set parameters that ensure reliable coverage, control directed or autonomous network switching and manage multiple IMSIs for any device. When combined with intelligent SIMs that can contain multiple profiles and the intelligence to switch IMSIs for the best connection at any given time and circumstance, overall system reliability is assured. Using this platform model, always-on connections can be managed through rule-driven logic related to established thresholds for signal strength, throughput, latency, regulatory or cost parameters to drive automated decisions for each device.

Simple and Effective

This single-SIM, multiple-network operator and multi-jurisdiction approach can take much of the complexity out of enterprise IoT management in a single country or across the globe. Through a unified global IoT network platform, managers can maintain the desired service levels anywhere on the network without being concerned with the headaches and workloads that come with managing separate locations and devices as standalone instantiations.