Data pooling for M2M SIM cards: Flexible data usage for IoT projects

Data pooling means that a shared data allowance is used for all deployed M2M SIM cards. This enables flexible and cost-efficient data usage in IoT projects.

What is data pooling?

Data pooling involves a shared data allowance shared by all of a customer's active M2M SIM cards. Instead of setting a separate data allowance for each M2M SIM card, all active SIMs are pooled together in one large pool, and the end devices consume data from a shared allowance.

Advantages of data pooling:

• Flexible usage: If one device consumes more data than others, the lower consumption can offset the increased consumption.
• Cost control: Reduced likelihood of additional costs from individual data-intensive devices.
• Easy management: One shared data quota instead of many individual limits.
• Scalability: Ideal for growing IoT fleets with varying data usage.

This approach is particularly useful when M2M SIM cards with different and fluctuating data requirements are used in a M2M plan The data from the pool is then offset against each other, so that it is rare for the pool to be exceeded due to individual M2M SIMs .

Static vs. Dynamic Data Pooling

Static data pooling

With the static data pool, the data quota remains the same for all SIM cards, even if new M2M SIM cards are activated.

Example:

If 50 SIM cards are already active and have a data allowance of 100 MB, the data allowance will remain at 100 MB even if five additional SIM cards are activated. All 55 SIM cards will then share the unchanged total volume of 100 MB.

Dynamic data pooling

With the dynamic data pool, the data quota grows by a set amount with each newly activated SIM card.

Example:

If an additional M2M SIM card is activated in addition to the 50 SIM cards (with a 100 MB pool), the data pool for all SIM cards increases by a customer-specified amount—in this example, 2 MB per M2M SIM card. This gives the 55 M2M SIM cards a total of 110 MB in the data pool.

Alternative: Individual data limits

An alternative to using the data pool is to set a data limit . This determines the maximum amount of data a single M2M SIM card can use. Once the limit is reached, no more data can be transferred.

When does which option make sense?

Data pooling is recommended if:

• SIM cards with different consumption are in use
• Flexible distribution of the data volume is desired
• Many devices are used in one project

Individual data limits recommended if:

• Strict control over individual devices is required
• Certain devices must not exceed a specified maximum consumption
• Separate billing per device is required

Whether setting a data limit makes sense depends on the intended use. Some devices can stop transmitting data once a limit is reached. However, there are also cases where data must continue to be transmitted in any case, for example, in telemedicine.

Application example: Vehicle fleet with different data consumption

A company operates 30 vehicles with M2M SIM cards for telemetry, navigation, and fleet management. Some vehicles are used daily and require a lot of data, while others are used only occasionally. Data pooling provides a shared quota of 1,500 MB for all vehicles. This allows heavily used vehicles to consume more data, while less used vehicles do not use their full share. The company does not have to plan individually for each vehicle and avoids additional costs due to data overages.

M2M SIM cards with flexible data pooling from wherever SIM

Our M2M SIM cards offer both static and dynamic data pooling for maximum flexibility in your IoT projects. Benefit from transparent cost control and optimal data utilization.

Find out more about our M2M SIM cards

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