What really makes an IoT SIM different than a smartphone SIM is not whether it is global, rugged, or embedded – it is whether it is used with a cellular IoT connectivity service.
You would not want a smartphone SIM with a connectivity service that offers very low or no 4G LTE or 5G data transmission capabilities, data speeds too slow to watch videos or conduct video calls and the other capabilities you need to take advantage of a smartphone’s features. In the same way, you don’t want an IoT SIM with a connectivity service that does not offer you the capabilities you need to maximize the value of your IoT devices and its IoT applications.
There are a wide variety of different IoT devices and applications, however, and depending on the use case, the owners of these devices will want different IoT connectivity capabilities. Generally, companies want to deploy IoT applications over a wide area or many countries, either now or in the future. In addition, most of these companies are deploying IoT applications that are business-critical, in which losing connectivity to an IoT device in or attached to a smart meter, shipping container, high-value piece of construction equipment or other asset can have serious financial consequences.
This is why most IoT connectivity service providers offer global or regional coverage from multiple MNOs in a region or in countries around the world. To offer this type of coverage, these providers contract with multiple MNOs in a specific region (North America, for example) or with hundreds of MNOs around the world. This allows them to provide connectivity even if an IoT device can connect to its primary MNO in a country, or if the IoT device moves to another country where the MNO does not provide service.