u-blox SARA-R500E cellular module with eSIM

u-blox has announced the u-blox SARA-R500E, its first cellular module with an embedded SIM chip (eSIM). Offering LTE-M connectivity, the product is designed for size-constrained applications with high requirements in terms of robustness and security, such as connected healthcare and asset trackers.

eSIMs are increasingly gaining a foothold in devices offering cellular connectivity. Today, most such devices, including the vast majority of smartphones, still feature a plastic SIM card that contains all the attributes and features required to connect the device to the cellular network. Like the plastic SIMs they are designed to replace, eSIMs are provisioned with a profile that allows devices to connect to a specific mobile network operator.

The eSIM in the cellular module offers product developers and end users several advantages. eSIMs are more robust than standard plastic SIMs and cannot be stolen or removed, increasing the security of the device. By doing away with the components required to hold and connect plastic SIM cards, they should enable smaller devices, reduce the bill of materials and simplify manufacturing.

The fact that the module’s eSIM does not need to be inserted manually by the user allows product developers to design tightly sealed devices that meet IP67 and IP68 criteria. This makes the module suitable for rugged IoT applications such as smart meters, surveillance cameras and environmental sensors.

The module also offers the option to access u-blox’s MQTT Anywhere service, which reduces bandwidth requirements for cellular data transfer, saving costs and power. The u-blox IoT Location-as-a-service portfolio, including AssistNow for real-time GNSS assistance data, and CellLocate, for cellular network-based positioning, is also available.

The product is pin-to-pin compatible with all the other modules in the SARA family and uses the SARA-R5 AT command interface, making it easy to drop into existing designs.